The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is calling for an underspend in the National Forestry Programme this year to be used to help forest owners impacted by ash dieback.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue recently confirmed to the Select Committee on Agriculture that €7 million in capital expenditure is being moved from the forestry budget.

The minister said the "saving" resulted from reduced levels of planting this year.

“I am aware that the current licensing delays are a contributory factor to the reduced levels of planting," McConalogue noted.

The minister said savings this year will ultimately free up funding for 2022 as the department prepays some commitments relating to next year now.

The IFA Farm Forestry Committee chair, Vincent Nally said he is "incensed" by Minister McConalogue’s comments.

“There are no savings in the forestry budget," he said.

Nally demanded that any underspend must be redirected to support forest owners affected.

Nally claimed that the thousands of farmers whose income has been devastated by ash dieback are being coerced by the government to continue to invest in a dying crop through the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS).

He added that the €7 million underspend would support the replanting of approximately 1,100ha of diseased ash plantations and support a premium payment of €605/ha on the re-established crop next year.

“I can assure this government that until they start to listen to farmers and appropriately compensate those affected by ash dieback, the afforestation targets set out in the Climate Action Bill to plant more than 8,000ha will not be achieved,” he said.

Only 1,895ha of forestry has been established so far this year, according to the IFA.

This represents a 22% decline on the area planted in 2020, and a 46% decline compared with 2019.