Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am aware of the incredibly concerning reports in connection with the white-tailed eagle. I strongly condemn this illegal act and I urge anyone with any information to contact either the National Parks and Wildlife Service or An Garda Síochána.

I will first outline the regulatory position with regard to carbofuran. This chemical was formerly used as an insecticide in EU member states, including Ireland. Its EU approval for use in plant protection products was withdrawn by a European Commission decision on 13 June 2007. This was due to a number of significant concerns, including its toxicity for birds and mammals which we can clearly see in this case. It has been illegal to use or trade products containing carbofuran anywhere in the EU since December 2008.

Regulatory controls in Ireland have been further strengthened by other legislation. This includes the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) (Restrictions on Use of Poison Bait) Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2022, which made deliberate poisoning an offence.

Possession of carborfuran is also illegal. Products containing carbofuran have been classified as hazardous waste since the legal use period expired in December 2008. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, have primary regulatory responsibility for the management of hazardous waste.

I also want to highlight the important work done by the NPWS in partnership with the State Laboratory and the regional veterinary laboratory service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to investigate bird of prey deaths. A formal protocol known as RAPTOR, which stands for recording and addressing persecution and threats to our raptors, was introduced in 2011. The protocol includes testing for secondary poisoning in birds of prey with carbofuran and other substances being routinely monitored. Several reports on incidences of poisoning have been published.

The information from the RAPTOR project suggests that a small number of individuals may have illegally procured carbofuran or illegally retained old product stock. The desirability of identifying and removing such stocks is recognised and options to facilitate achieving this objective are currently being considered.

A pilot project, the farm hazardous waste collection campaign, which ran from 2013 to 2017, provided farmers with an opportunity to safely dispose of hazardous waste. This was a collaborative project led by the EPA, working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the then Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Teagasc and local authorities. The initiative was also supported by the Irish Farmers Association, Bórd Bia and other stakeholders.

At that time, a total of 9,000 farmers availed of the service and almost 1,000 tonnes of hazardous and potentially hazardous waste were collected across 46 collection centres. That is a significant amount, which included 68 tonnes of waste pesticides and small quantities of carbofuran products. The Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Environment, Climate and Communications are working to develop and agree a suitable long-term plan for collection of farm hazardous wastes.

I recognise the critically important role that birds of prey play in our ecosystems and I am mindful of the need for a multifaceted approach to ensure the highest level of protection for them and other wildlife. It is clear that we need to continue to work intensively with relevant stakeholders across a number of areas to tackle wildlife crime and protect our native birds of prey.

In relation to the Senator's point about access to pesticides, I share her concerns and I will certainly look into the matter further.