Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is appropriate that the Minister is taking this matter as I bring it before the House following a letter that appeared in The Irish Times recently from a constituent of his, a Ms Jane Jackson. Based on the information she provided, I felt it a matter appropriate to the Adjournment. Japanese knotweed grows vigorously and it out-competes all other plants beneath it. It is spread in Ireland not by seed, as only the female plant is present in the country, as far as we know, but by crown, stem and underground root. Any cut pieces are capable of regenerating into new plants, and it is imperative that councils around the country are made aware of this, as crews cutting hedgerows are the main cause of the spread at present. This is evident as one drives along our roads, and such an exponential spread could otherwise only happen with seeds. The current practices of local authorities are unwittingly leading to the proliferation of this noxious weed.

Along river banks, the knotweed quickly spreads as pieces are broken and drift downstream. In winter, as foliage dies back, there is no undergrowth to protect river banks and therefore erosion readily takes place, with pieces of the root further infecting banks. It is quite alarming how fast this particular weed has taken over not just hedgerows but entire fields and gardens, and something must be put in place to deal with the safe disposal of the plant. The longer this is ignored, the more expensive this problem will become, and in the UK there is an environmental code of conduct applying to the abolition of knotweed. That is absent in this country so I would be grateful for the Minister's observations as to whether he recognises and acknowledges the problem and if he could outline attempts to have it eliminated from our countryside.