The public is being urged to support the Irish Christmas tree sector by purchasing a real Irish Christmas tree this festive season by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae.

“As a young fella of about 10 years of age, I used to cut Christmas trees and deliver them on my bicycle around the parish. I’ll never forget the joy people had when a real tree arrived at their door.

“There’s a magic in the smell of a real Christmas tree in the house. It’s a tradition rooted in Irish homes for decades,” he said.

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By buying Irish, he said this will support local producers who have put in seven to 10 years of dedicated work to produce top-quality Christmas trees.

“Irish growers produce around 700,000 Christmas trees each year, with 450,000 sold at home and about 250,000 exported abroad, mainly to the UK. The sector contributes an estimated €21m to the Irish economy annually.”

The minister said that his Department’s Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector helps to support the sector by grant-aiding capital investments in specialised equipment to manage and harvest the crop.

“The 2026 scheme is currently open for applications and I would encourage growers to apply. Information on the scheme can be found on the Department’s website,” he said.