Seanad debates
Thursday, 26 January 2023
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Pesticide Use
9:30 am
Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome Senator Boylan and apologise if there has been a mix-up in the choreography this morning. The Senator has got her cardiovascular workout done for today.
Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Seanadóir Hackett. I raise this issue on the back of reports we heard in the media of several raptors having been found poisoned in the midlands, particularly the white-tailed eagle found dead between Lough Ramar in County Cavan and Loch Sheelin in County Westmeath in November 2022. I have raised the matter of toxicology tests before in this House and the need for these data to be collected to allow us to know what poisons are killing our raptors and how we can prevent it happening in future. Toxicology tests in this case revealed that the raptor died from ingesting carbofuran, which is a lethal pest control poison that has been outlawed for a decade because of its devastating impact on bird life. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is still trying to establish what happened to the white-tailed eagle and whether it could have ingested the poison through eating a dead animal that had been laced with it.
This is not just about an attack on a single bird because, as the Minister of State knows, in a biodiversity crisis this is an attack on so much more than that. There are knock-on impacts right along the food chain. The original re-introduction programme from 2007 to 2011 involved releasing 100 young white-tailed eagles in Killarney National Park in County Kerry. I was lucky at the time as I was working in the national park and got to see the chicks. They are big babies and are fed deer legs. They are not like little chicks we see on Easter cards. We know, however, that there have been a number of poisoning attacks on these beautiful birds. It is wonderful to see them being reintroduced in this country. There is wonderful co-operation with the Norwegian Government to allow us to have these birds. It has donated these birds to us.
As I said, the white-tailed eagle was poisoned by carbofuran and this substance has been banned for ten years. We must ask ourselves where this carbofuran came from and how people got their hands on it. We suspect that these are poisons people have lying about in their sheds and have not disposed of. When I raised this issue previously, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, suggested that we might possibly look at an amnesty for these products. Now that we have seen another poisoning incident, I ask the Government to consider issuing a public service announcement offering an amnesty to people who have these poisons in their sheds and may not be aware that they are no longer permitted to be used. They should be allowed to present them so that they can be correctly disposed of to ensure they do not end up in the food chain or affect our precious biodiversity, particularly our raptor species.
I have also raised concerns regarding access to legal pesticides and rodenticides. Some of these are very poisonous chemicals but they are freely available to citizens in local discount stores and gardening centres. I ask that consideration be given to preventing them from being so readily accessible to the general public. Whatever about farmers having to use them and being trained in their use, the general public does not need to be using these poisons and they should be taken off the shelves. I am interested in hearing the Minister of State's view on the amnesty for carbofuran and other banned substances.
Pippa Hackett (Green Party)
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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.
Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. I share her concerns. I reiterate the message to people that poisoning is illegal but also that we are in a biodiversity crisis. It was declared a number of years ago and we have to protect as much of our wildlife as possible. There should be zero tolerance for anybody who is engaging in such activities. The figures for the pilot project which ran from 2013 to 2017 show how successful it was, with almost 1,000 tonnes of hazardous material being collected and 9,000 farmers engaging in the scheme. However, that was almost six years ago and it should be looked at again. Young farmers who have taken over farms may wish to participate in such an amnesty. The Department should consider rolling that out again. As I said, there must be zero tolerance for anyone deliberately carrying out wildlife crimes.
Pippa Hackett (Green Party)
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The pilot campaign proved to be very successful so running something similar again merits consideration. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the EPA and other stakeholders to develop and implement a permanent national scheme for the collection of farm wastes. This could provide a mechanism to facilitate the identification and removal of existing stocks of carbofuran and other poisonous or illegally held chemicals. It is something we do need to work on and implement. It would serve us all and our wildlife well.