Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I am aware of the situation with the supply of ash planks. Over the past ten years, over 80% of planks for hurleys have been imported into the country, mostly from the UK, Croatia, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden and Ukraine. A number of hurley-makers import ash planks from Ukraine and this supply is disrupted due to the Russian invasion. Despite the issues with ash plank supply, I am advised there remains a large reservoir of ash wood available on the Continent and I understand hurley-makers affected by these supply issues are looking elsewhere in Europe to increase the supply of ash planks.

Over the past ten years, supply from ash forests in Ireland and on the Continent has been affected by ash dieback disease, which is present throughout the natural range of ash in Europe. The disease has caused significant damage to ash forests in Europe. In Ireland, my Department has provided support totalling more than €7 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme and, more recently, through the reconstitution and underplanting scheme introduced in July 2020. I understand that, apart from research trials, all EU member states have stopped planting ash.

The Department has supported and continues to support a number of research initiatives to identify tolerant ash trees for use in ash breeding programmes for the future. The breeding of ash for resistance, which the Department and Teagasc have been involved in, is promising but is relatively long-term and will not increase ash plank supply in the short term. My Department has met Croke Park, Teagasc, Coillte and hurley-makers several times to examine the issues associated with the disease, including its spread throughout Europe, the issues of trying to make more hurleys using less ash wood, and breeding ash for resistance. The challenge posed by ash dieback has been with us for nearly ten years and some of the hurley manufacturers have already increased their range of supply lines and regions they import from. Some have started using different species of wood to make their hurleys and some have become more efficient in their use of ash.

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