Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his comprehensive analysis of the ash dieback situation. His predecessor, the late Shane McEntee, initiated most of the Department's work in this regard. I remember him talking in this House about ash dieback in 2012 when it first hit the headlines. He had huge conviction in tackling it and I am glad to see the current Minister of State is following that good work by working in close collaboration with counterparts in Northern Ireland and the British authorities and at a European level and by looking at the research. It is obviously having a huge impact, not only in Ireland but right across Europe. We are not isolated and I understand that it is affecting many European countries.

In respect of our connection to ash, we might not have the skills of people in Tipperary. I read that about 350,000 hurleys are produced every year, predominantly from ash, so the issue is significantly linked to the GAA, particularly hurling. The ash tree population is not only important to the country today but it has been important down through generations and will be important in the future. It is, therefore, important to protect our traditional ash forestry.

I commend the Minster of State on the way he is dealing with this. He is going about it the right way. It is important for Opposition Senators and Deputies to commend a Minister when they think he or she is going about things in the right way.It is easy for us to come in and criticise, but at the end of the day this problem is not of the Government's making. It is affecting many European countries, including our neighbours in England and up the road in the North.

The Minister of State outlined the cost. That was one of my questions today. He mentioned a figure of €2.3 million, which was the cost, I presume, to the Department and the taxpayer of replenishing and burying the 2 million trees. That is a lot of trees, and it is having a significant effect across the country. The counties most affected were Leitrim, Monaghan and Meath and some trees in Galway were also affected. The figures suggest that the Minister of State's Department is getting to grips with this situation. The figures he mentioned have fallen drastically, from 113 to the end of 2013 to 30 last year. He mentioned a figure of six this year. There were 21 cases of the disease on farm and agri-environmental sites in 2013 and only two last year, while there were four cases in garden centres and nurseries in 2013 and none last year. It is probably having an impact on the private sector in terms of business opportunities, etc., and on farmers as well. Farmers want to plan ash trees, but because of the risk they are prohibited from doing so.

Ideally a solution would be found, either in treatment, or, as the Minister of State has outlined, finding an ash tree that would be strong enough to resist the disease. UCD has an excellent department of agriculture. It works with the University of Cambridge in other areas, as the Minister of State mentioned. That is positive. This is also a European issue and it has affected other countries. Where has the European Union been on this problem? Why has it not regulated ash dieback as a disease? I know it has legislated for it generically - the Minister of State mentioned the European directive - but it has not specifically regulated for it. Would that be of benefit? He also mentioned control areas, for example, a control area of the island of Ireland. How far are we from that? Is the European Union receptive to that idea? On one side, the Government has done excellent work in getting the disease under control, but the other side, unfortunately, is that there are now many restrictions on the planting of ash. What impact will that have on the demand for ash - for hurling, for example - in five, ten or 15 years time? Has the Department analysed that in any way? Are there any projected implications into the future if these restrictions were to continue?

The Minister of State has answered many of the questions I may have had in the address he has given. I wish him well with his work. It is not an easy task, I am sure. I also commend his officials in the Department and the Forest Service on the work they are doing.