Glyn Egan (aka The Sheep Shepherd) talks forestry with Minister Michael Healy-Rae

In this video, Glyn Egan (aka Sheep Shepherd) discusses the benefits of forestry with Minister Michael Healy-Rae while visiting the minister's long-established plantation in Kilgarvan. The conversation looks at forestry from a farmer’s perspective - especially younger farmers - and highlights how planting trees can work alongside existing farm enterprises like sheep, cattle, or dairy. The Minister explains the wide range of forestry options now available, including agroforestry, native woodlands, and mixed forests, and stresses that modern schemes allow farmers to keep key payments (such as BISS and CRISS) while still planting trees. They discuss how agroforestry can improve marginal or wet land, support grazing, and even allow silage cutting. A major focus is on the financial benefits: planting costs, fencing, and protection are fully grant-aided; farmers receive substantial tax-free annual premiums; and income from selling timber is also tax-free. Timber remains a valuable long-term commodity, and forestry provides a generational asset that can be replanted and harvested again. They also cover licensing, the streamlined application process, support from professional foresters, and grants for building forestry roads - even in remote upland areas - to ensure timber can be extracted easily. Ultimately, the message is that planting trees is a win-win: it delivers a strong income stream, improves land use options, environmental benefits, and is a renewable resource that will support future generations.