The annual forest premium payment is an important support to forest owners. Teagasc Forestry Advisor, John Casey reminds forest owners who may still have to submit their 2026 premium online application to do so, with payments issued on a weekly basis.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae, TD recently announced payment of €23.5 million in annual premiums to over 6,500 forest owners for 2026. These payments are income tax free and are very welcome at this time of year.
Annual forest premium payments are claimed through the Department of Agriculture’s Online Services website www.agfood.ie. This facility remains open all year and the Department will process online applications for 2026 forest premiums as they are received. It is however good to get your application submission in early, and you can look forward to prompt payment once particulars are in order.
Applying for your annual forest premium payment is straightforward and can be done in a few minutes on the online portal. Have your up to date username and password at hand.
- Log on to www.agfood.ie
- Enter your Username and hit continue
- Enter your Password
- A six-digit one-time code will be sent to your mobile phone
- Enter the six-digit code in the box provided and select Log in
- Scroll down and select Forestry Grants & Premiums from the menu of applications
- Select option to view your Outstanding Premiums (Form 4)
- Select a contract by highlighting your contract number (the details will turn blue)
- Select View
- De Minimis Declaration. Select Yes or No:
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- Yes: I have received other De Minimis payments. Enter the relevant details and then click Save Declaration and Continue
- No: I have not received any other De Minimis payments. Click Save Declaration and Continue
- If prompted, view the aerial photograph of your plantation and Proceed
- Tick the box for I accept these conditions
- Submit your application
- If you have more than one contract: select Home and then repeat the process for the next contract
Further information
You can contact the Department’s dedicated Forestry Premium Helpdesk in Wexford at Phone: 053 9163425, e-mail: forestry.premiums@agriculture.gov.ie if you need assistance when applying for your forestry premium. Make sure you have your forestry Contract Number (CN) and/or Forest Owner (FO) number to hand.
Further detailed information regarding online forestry premium applications can be found on the Teagasc Forestry webpage.