Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. As all sides of the House have contributed to the debate, I shall not rehash the details. Naturally, there has been a great emphasis on the impact the outbreak is having on the hurley manufacturing industry. I know that he has been involved in consultations on the issue and I have a couple of questions for him. He said,

Ash trees planted on the 11 sites in question have been destroyed. This involved the destruction by cutting and burning of some 30,000 trees from the imported consignment and several thousand adjoining trees.

Is that happening in the UK? He further stated that diseased young trees would be removed and destroyed and, with regard to the action plan operated by the UK Government, he continued that "there are no plans to remove mature trees which are important for wildlife." Has the same happened here? Have mature trees been removed? If so, it will have an impact on wildlife. Can he clarify what happened to the several thousand adjoining trees?

The disease is long-term because its impact will not be known for a long time. Sadly, it was recently introduced into Ireland. I presume that the officials and scientists have advised the Minister of State that it could be between 20 and 30 years before we know its impact, particularly on dense woodlands. In terms of ongoing surveillance, what extra resources are needed by the Department? How will surveillance be addressed scientifically?

I am not sure whether other Senators have referred to it but I have tried to find out the cause of the outbreak. The main cause is our ongoing love affair with exotic plants. Experts have issued 13 times as many alerts on new plant infecting fungi as there were in 1995. The ash fungus may be one of the relatively few natural mutations that have occurred in recent times. Most of them have been triggered by human activities. Plant pathologists put the blame squarely on the trend for imported plants. The demand for exotic plants and already grown trees in gardens and public spaces has moved plants and their pathogens around the world in unprecedented numbers. In new environments the pathogens swop genes and evolve into forms for which species of nature have no resistance. The surging global trade in plants is essentially a huge microbiology experiment that is impacting on the forests of the world. It is a serious business. I presume that the Minister of State has been advised along the same line. A briefing was given to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine earlier today on foot of a request from me and others to get a handle on the problem. I am concerned about imported plants. Has he considered stopping the importation of exotic plants into this country? Is it a case of closing the door after the horse has bolted? It may be a drastic step but, for many generations, we have taken pride in home produced plants, trees and tree species.

Successive Governments have tried to introduce diversity into the agriculture sector, particularly when agricultural interests were resistant. I can recall, as Senator Comiskey does, signs being erected all over County Leitrim when it was first suggested that the county, because of its poor land and unsuitability for tillage farming, could grow trees faster than anywhere else in Europe. Sadly, people got in a mad rush and planted Sitka spruce which had a detrimental effect on fishing and some of our waterways. I am glad that there has been more diversity in recent years which was prompted by the Government.

It is ironic that the fungi was first identified in Leitrim because of its recent history of resistance to forestry. That resistance has never gone away completely. There is a latent resistance that dates back several hundred years. I want to know the Minister of State's view on exotic plants. Has the Department considered banning them or banning the importation of some of them? I did raise the issue of mature trees because they affect wildlife. Is it true that it could take a couple of decades before we know if the infestation is widespread? Is the Minister of State confident that the Department has managed to contain it? He referred to a consultation and implementing a voluntary code earlier. Am I right that the legislation will supersede the voluntary code? He referred to it but I am still a bit confused. He talked about what he did in consultation and that there would be a voluntary code. If it is voluntary then we are on a loser. What resources are being put in place to ensure that the legislation that he introduces will be enforced? As he will know from past experience, particularly in forestry, people can work around a law for their own gain. However, I do not suggest that they will because this is such a serious matter.

I am surprised that Sinn Féin should be surprised that the Government would engage in all-island consultations on something as important as this, but perhaps that is its members' mindset.