Denis Landy (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, for engaging in this Adjournment debate. It is unfortunate for the Minister of State because this matter was tabled by me last week and the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes, who is a good Tipperary man, as am I, was supposed to deal with it. In the intervening period he put the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, in the hot seat after we beat Galway by nine points in Thurles. He will have to answer to his maker for that. On a serious note, I know the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, has a great interest in hurling and the fate of our native ash tree.

In 2012, ash dieback arrived in Ireland and by April 2014 some 120 cases had been identified and 1,300 acres of forest had been destroyed. The industry supports 400 jobs and ash wood is used for many purposes, one of which is the making of hurleys. Some 350,000 hurleys are produced every year in Ireland but the cost of ash for this production has increased dramatically, even in recent months. Ash now costs €12 per plank, the raw material for a hurley, and it was previously €9.50. I commend the Department on the work it has done to date in trying to control the disease but it is a fact that Ireland imports 80% of its ash from elsewhere in Europe. Much of this comes from the UK where ash dieback is now accepted as unstoppable by scientists. It is expected that the ash crop in England will be destroyed in the coming years. The situation facing hurley makers is so serious that we have resorted to such drastic actions as enlisting the help of Queen Elizabeth II of England in providing ash from her royal forests in Sandringham Estate, Norfolk. This is something that has pleased Prince Philip and in which he has taken an active interest.

Coillte informed us prior to this outbreak that Ireland could be self-sufficient in terms of ash growth by 2018. How realistic is this estimate now? Work is being carried out in Norwich on a tree known as Tree 35 that may be resistant to the disease. Has the Irish Government or Coillte been involved in this work and what progress has been made with regard to the Irish case? How many outbreaks have occurred in 2014 and how widespread is the disease in Ireland? What percentage of ash trees has been affected by the outbreak and how is this issue being communicated to the general public? Teagasc held a number of public awareness meeting for farmers and those involved in forestry but many members of the public who walk through national parks do not recognise the signs of ash dieback and, thus, cannot notify the authorities. Can the Minister of State make a comment on medium and long-term stock level projections for Ireland?

The Galway hurlers have no further part to play in the championship but the Tipperary hurlers hope to be in Croke Park in September. I hope that hurleys made from Irish ash will be available in future because it is our national game and something in which we all take great pride. Hurling is a conversation ice-breaker in all situations and I take a great interest in it. I hope the Minister of State has good news on this issue.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Landy for this opportunity to update the House on the current situation on chalara fraxinea, the disease otherwise known as ash dieback. I assure him that we in Galway intend to make significant use of ash for many years to come.

The disease, which was identified for the first time in Ireland in October 2012 has, I regret to inform the House, spread throughout the country. At the current time there are a total of 120 cases of the disease. Some 47 of these cases are located in forest plantations, 21 are in nurseries and garden centres, 21 are in farms, some of which were planted as part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, and rural environment protection scheme, REPS, four were in private gardens, 25 were roadside plantings and two were in hedgerows. A total of 14 of the 120 cases were confirmed in 2014.

It is important that I take this opportunity to highlight the significant effort that the Department has put into trying to contain this very destructive disease. As a first step ash has been removed from the list of tree species approved under the afforestation grant schemes.

In recent years 10% of the planting programme was made up of ash. This was followed up in November 2012 when national legislative measures were introduced under the Destructive Insects and Pest Acts 1958 and 1991 to regulate the import of ash seed, plants and wood. In tandem, similar legislation was introduced in Northern Ireland. A major winter survey of ash plantations was undertaken by the Department soon after the disease was identified. This exercise focused on trees planted between 2008 and 2012. It included surveying of hedgerows, nurseries, roadside, landscape and farm plantings as well as forest plantations, the outcome of which was the confirmation of further findings of the disease. The survey was broadened to an ongoing growing season survey of ash planted over a much longer period.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have worked closely with colleagues in Northern Ireland so that a framework could be put in place to support the implementation of a cohesive all-Ireland response to this issue. To this end, the all-Ireland Chalaracontrol strategy was launched by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes, and Minister O'Neill from Northern Ireland in July 2013. We continue to implement this strategy and see it as an important contributor in addressing the threat posed by Chalaraon the island of Ireland.
In terms of controlling the disease itself, arrangements have been put in place to remove all ash trees from the forest sites where the disease has been confirmed and from associated sites where trees from the same infected batches have also been planted. Eradication is also being carried out under the Department's supervision at non-forest locations. This work is being undertaken by staff from the forest service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in conjunction with the relevant forestry contractors, the IFA and landowners in order to ensure as smooth a process as possible. In March 2013 a Chalarareconstitution scheme was introduced to help forest owners affected by the disease. This scheme provides financial support for site clearance, as well as funding for the replanting of the site with a suitable alternative species. So far funding has been allocated in respect of 560 ha under the scheme and over €1 million has been paid to forest owners in grants.
The Department also continues its efforts to increase awareness of ash dieback and the serious threat posed by this disease. Early detection can allow for these plantations to be destroyed as soon as possible, thereafter preventing further infection from occurring. To this end a total of 22 Chalara information meetings, organised by the Department and Teagasc, were held throughout the country. These took place during the month of May 2013. Approximately 800 people attended and information was provided on what to look out for and the implications in terms of clearance of a forest plantation. Clarification was also given at these meetings on the implications for AEOS and REPS farmers where the disease is found on the trees planted under these schemes. These farmers can apply to the Department for force majeureconsideration, in which case payments will continue unaffected and there is no obligation to replant.
Following discussions with the GAA a one-page advertisement was placed in the match programme for the 2013 All-Ireland Hurling Final replay requesting patrons to look out for symptoms of ash dieback. In addition, the GAA has included an article in the monthly newsletter sent out to every club in the country in an effort to raise awareness further. Information continues to be disseminated through a poster campaign, advertisements and posting information to the Departments website. In May of this year an all-Ireland Chalara conference was held, the aim of which was to update all interested parties on the latest developments with regard to the disease in Ireland and Europe as a whole. This conference, which was also attended by Minister O'Neill, provided an opportunity for experts to share information on dealing with this disease and to focus on the most recent developments regarding resistant strains of the species.
Chalarais a relatively new disease to science and consequently research is going to play a key role in stopping it. The Department has been working with scientists in Britain on a Chalaramodelling exercise. This will help predict the likely patterns of spread and, in turn, facilitate a more focused allocation of resources in terms of surveillance and control measures. In the longer term we must continue to work with industry, universities, farmers, landowners, voluntary organisations and the general public to explore and develop ways of minimising both the economic and environmental impacts of ash dieback. One of the most important areas of work is in the identification of possible resistance in ash. As part of this effort, Irish ash plants have been planted at a range of sites in south-east England to test for resistance. The research, which is funded in part by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is being carried out by Forest Research, an agency of the Forestry Commission. In addition, the Department has launched a competitive call for research proposals on breeding ash for resistance and on modelling disease spread.
In terms of supply, Ireland requires in the region of 2,100 cu. m of hurley ash per annum, representing approximately 360,000 hurleys. Well over 70% of ash timber is imported to meet this demand. There is almost 20,000 ha of ash in the country, most of which is less than 20 years old. It is anticipated that we will rely on imports for the next five to seven years until these ash plantations reach the appropriate size. In the longer term, we must concentrate our efforts on trying to identify resistant species of ash so that we can begin to plant ash again as part of a national planting programme.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his very comprehensive reply. I appreciate that a great deal of work has been done in respect of this matter and that we are all as one in terms of trying to control this disease. On foot of the statistics provided by the Minister of State, it is quite obvious that we are not going to have sufficient ash to make hurleys for the next few years. There is a need for an immediate awareness campaign among members of the public in order that we might identify and remove infected ash trees as early as possible. This will allow us to retain the 20,000 ha of ash to which the Minister of Stater referred for as long as possible. I again thank the Minister of State.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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There is significant merit in the suggestion the Senator makes in terms of public awareness. I recall several years ago that we had a significant problem with an invasive species, the Zebra mussel, which affected lakes and other bodies of freshwater throughout the country. A significant public awareness campaign was launched in respect of that issue and we have succeeded, to a certain extent, in addressing it. If a similar campaign were to be undertaken in respect of Chalara, it might have a similarly positive effect. Working in conjunction with our neighbours in the UK in order to carry out research around disease-resistant strains of ash is equally important. We must continue to focus on this research from which, it is hoped, a positive outcome will be forthcoming in the very near future.