Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to this very important issue. There has been much coverage in the news, both here and in the UK, about the emergence of a disease that is fatal to the ash tree. Ash dieback disease is known to kill 90% of the trees it infects. I know the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, has done much good work around this issue so I do not wish to detract from that.

In Ireland there is a 90% sufficiency in native ash plants but we must import 10% of ash plants from abroad, and it is from these imported sources that the greatest risk to our native ash population exists. We must become 100% self-sufficient in the area. We have the capacity to orchestrate a horticultural programme to provide an import substitution with our native ash species. Another vital objective is the need to reduce the spread of this disease and protect the native trees, and we must build resilience in our natural forestry, encouraging everybody involved - farmer, landowner and industry professionals - to come together to protect what we have.

If we can slow its spread and minimise its impact, we will gain valuable time to find and isolate the native trees that have genetic resistance to the disease and restructure our valuable woodlands accordingly. However, in order to do this we must know where we currently stand in the fight against ash dieback. Perhaps the Minister of State will outline the current stage of the disease and if it has been found in mature trees as well as saplings.

Advice from scientists points to more difficulty in eradicating the disease if it is caught in older trees but this should not point to an end of the ash tree population. There is much evidence from Sweden of dealing with the disease, particularly through using genetics. Could we harvest our native wild ash and build up a database so that if we get into difficulty in future, we could call that database? The seed database exists in County Clare. The Minister of State might understand that as I come from Kilkenny, it is a major worry.

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