To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any support or funding provided to local tree growers, in each of the last three years.

My Department supports local tree growers by providing certification of forest reproductive material derived from seed sources and stands in Northern Ireland. This certification enables nurseries who sell trees from local seed sources for forestry purposes to provide assurance to their customers of the genetic quality of their production. The certification processes are implemented under the Forest Reproductive Material Regulations (as amended).

Over the last three years Forest Service provided certification, primarily to the conservation volunteering sector, who identify, collect seed and produce trees from local sources. The number of certificates are five, seventeen and four issued in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively.