Replacing beef livestock farming with afforestation will increase farmers' incomes

In Ireland, afforestation rates in 2023 and 2024 were the lowest since the 1920s. Over the past four decades, all ambitious plans for tree planting have failed to be met. Nevertheless, government policy aims to increase the country's forest cover from the current approximately 11 percent to 18 percent.

As economic consultant Brendan Kearney notes, a potential increase in future afforestation volumes could occur mainly through approximately 80,000 beef cattle farms. Most members of this group have the lowest incomes, are older than average, have off-farm employment, and less frequently contact support services.

Replacing beef cattle farming with afforestation has been characterized as a mutually beneficial measure: it increases farmers' incomes, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and substantially enhances carbon sequestration. At the same time, a negative attitude toward forestry prevails in this group, including concerns about rural depopulation, social isolation, and the restriction of land use options.

Afforestation rates depend not only on incentives, but also on the level of awareness, promotional activities, and technical support systems. To overcome obstacles, it is proposed to strengthen the promotion of the forestry sector at the government level, apply an integrated approach in developing land use schemes, and establish outreach with landowners who least frequently contact support services.