Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see my colleagues in the Seanad taking a united Ireland approach on this. In all seriousness, it is a case where an all-Ireland approach is essential. It is no harm to keep this in mind, and we could do so in many other areas also.

This is a very serious issue. The emergence some weeks ago of Chalara fraxinea, or ash dieback disease, at a forest in County Leitrim has caused great concern in the forestry industry. The disease was found at a site in Leitrim where 5,000 imported ash saplings were planted in 2009. They were part of a consignment of 35,000 saplings imported at the time. This is a highly contagious and damaging fungal disease which has already wiped out 90% of Denmark's ash population.

Ash is an important species in the Irish landscape. Approximately 10% of the ash planted under the Department's afforestation scheme is from imported sources with the remaining 90% home-produced. In all 3% of Irish forests are ash forests. This could certainly have very serious ramifications for the forestry and forestry projects industry. I understand more than 34,000 young ash trees have already been destroyed here. In particular, the industry involving the most obvious and most common ash product, the hurley, of which we need approximately 350,000 a year, is in severe difficulty as the Minister of State outlined. Naturally this has led to the Government putting in place controls. These were necessary and proportionate and we commend the Minister of State. The forest nurseries had a voluntary ban on imports from continental Europe.

We support the move to a full ban on importing ash plants. The Government's decision to ban all imports into Ireland of young ash plants and seed from countries with the fungal infection is welcome.

The Sinn Féin Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, MLA, has introduced a similar ban. There is co-operation between both Departments, North and South, to combat the threat. She welcomed the opportunity to co-operate with a fortress Ireland approach to plant health, which she has done on previous occasions with other Ministers, including Deputy Coveney.

Infections and diseases show little concern for borders. The issue highlights, just as with the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, that these threats present themselves on an island-wide basis. It also highlights the practical advantages of having a co-ordinated approach across the island. We support Deputy Coveney's ongoing efforts to ensure that the spread of disease can be curbed. The disease is carried through live plants and seeds and it is appropriate that their movement has been halted. We would be concerned if the ban was extended to the import of partially processed or processed ash if these measures are not successful. If it were deemed necessary then we would support the measure but we must make every effort to ensure that it does not come to that. It would be disastrous for hurley makers and could have an impact on the game. Eight out of ten hurleys used on Irish GAA pitches are made from imported timber, or from completed hurleys manufactured overseas. If we cannot import timber for hurleys they will start to become scarce and jobs in the hurley making industry could be at risk. Can the Minister of State outline how likely it is that such a ban might be put in place? What effect would it have on the hurley making industry? He may have addressed my query in his earlier replies.

Ireland has an abundance of young ash trees but most are many years away from maturity and are unsuitable for hurley manufacture. They could form the basis of the hurley industry in future. It may transpire that growers and farmers will decide to move away from growing an ash tree plantation due to the risk of disease. The Irish Guild of Ash Hurley Makers has outlined its concerns about the threat to the hurley ash industry and I welcome the fact that the Minister of State met its representatives today. The organisation had agreed to call on its members to ensure that ash wood for hurley making is either imported from countries free of the disease or that any hurley ash brought in from continental Europe would be in plank form with the bark sawn off.

It is not only hurley makers who are threatened by the disease. People who work in the forestry sector are concerned and so are those who work in other forestry product industries, such as making parts for furniture. We sincerely hope that the measures taken and the prompt response will ensure the survival of ash trees here. We urge the Government to continue to work closely with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the North to stem the spread of disease. If the threat is aggressively dealt with then the good work of growing ash will be brought to fruition and we will produce ash for hurleys here on a larger scale.

I have listened intently to what has been said and we have had an interesting debate. A number of questions popped into my mind that I shall ask the Minister of State and I am sure that his officials will help him to respond. Are there other potential dangers to our trees and forests? We have all heard about the outbreak of the ash disease. Should we be looking out for other diseases that could harm other species of trees? Can the disease mutate and affect other trees? I am not a scientist and I do not come from a scientific background. Is there a danger that the disease will mutate?

Obviously the disease will need to be policed. Do we have the resources to monitor the disease? Do private forests have a self-policing regime? Does the Department monitor private forests? How do workers at private forests check and monitor their trees? Does the Department monitor them? If a forest or saplings must be destroyed what compensation measures have been put in place? How much does it cost? Who must pay for it?