Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 36:

In page 32, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:“(6) The Minister shall report to the Oireachtas on the elimination of destructive diseases causing ash dieback and the destruction of forests by the invasive species rhododendron.”.

I thank the Minister of State for participating in the debate today and the last day. We learned a lot, as he did, when his predecessor as Minister of State, the late Shane McEntee, appeared in the Chamber. At the time we were concerned about ash dieback disease. The section deals with invasive species. I am asking that the Minister report to the Oireachtas on the elimination of destructive diseases such as ash dieback disease and the destruction of forests by the invasive species rhododendron, which represents a major threat to all of the work by the Minister of State and his predecessors. My botanical friends are seriously concerned that the ash could disappear as the elm did before it. There is also a serious problem with beech which is invasive in mature native oak woods in many locations such as Laragh, Rathdrum, Killarney National Park and Lismore. There is a major problem in the offing with the lodgepole pine which is invasive in bog and heathland habitats in Connemara and County Mayo. Coillte's wild Nephin wilderness area contains a large amount of lodgepole pine which is regenerating freely. The rampant rhododendron problem occurs in the national park in County Mayo and Killarney. Senator Paul Coghlan is seriously concerned about it.
The GAA took its eye off the ball and allowed a shortage of ash to develop. The disease was to be found in imported ash from central Europe. We are all trying to develop a forest that is sometimes invaded by the vermin the Minister of State mentioned and sometimes by invasive species that threaten to destroy much of what is of value. This will undo much of the work done in Irish woodlands. Some procedure such as that the late Shane McEntee had brought forward in respect of ash would allow us to see how our native woodlands are faring with the various threats to their continuation in this valuable part of the environment. We need to put in place a mechanism whereby the invaders can be attacked and the House informed of a serious national issue.