Farmers could be rewarded with lump-sum payments in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) if they plant 1ha of forestry on their land, the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has said.

He told a forestry conference in Brussels last week that, to meet climate targets and aid biodiversity, farmers could plant 1ha of forestry each.

A lump sum, per hectare, payment could be offered to each participating farmer over the next seven-year CAP programme.

“The afforested plot could be either marginal land or in between big fields where biodiversity and diverse landscape elements would be needed,” Commissioner Hogan said.

An Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) spokesperson said the 1ha proposal should form part of an overall agro-forestry land use policy.

“After a higher payment for establishment (the first four years), all future payments should be for the lifetime of the afforested area.

“If applied, we believe it should be native indigenous broadleaf trees only and targeted at land suitable for growing these trees,” he said.