Roche welcomes new bioenergy scheme

Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of a new Bioenergy Scheme to grant aid the planting of willow and miscanthus crops over the period 2010 to 2012. The new scheme builds on a pilot scheme introduced in 2007 which ran up to the end of 2009.

The new Scheme is part of the Government's revised Rural Development Programme. The proposal is due to be formally approved by the EU Commission in the near future.

The scheme is based on an EU Council Regulation that is aimed at providing support for rural development supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

In the current year €1million will be allocated to support the planting of a further 1,000 hectares in 2010.

The Scheme is now open for applications and interested farmers can apply for establishment grants of up to €1,300 per hectare to cover 50% of the costs of establishing these crops. Eligible costs for support under the scheme include ground preparation operations, vegetation management, planting and the purchase of planting stock.

Welcoming the scheme Minister Roche said. " This news is to be welcomed. It is another step in the right direction. When I served as Minister for the Environment I was strungly of the view that the production of bio-energy offered Irish farmers a sustainable means of supporting farm incomes. The scheme announced today will consolidate progress made during the last three years when the pilot scheme was in operation.

Today's announcement is doubly welcome in that there have been some concerns in farming circules since the begining of the year about the future of the bio-energy programme. Minister Smith's brings an end to those concerns" - Minioster said.

"In addition to being good news for farm families the news is important in terms of creating another sustainable energy resourse. The next step must be to refit power stations that are using peat to take other bio energy sources. That will ensure long term markets for energy crops" - Minister Roche added.

Minister Roche reminds farmers who may be interested in the scheme that the closing date for submission of applications for pre-planting approval is Wednesday 31st March 2010.