Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, here this morning.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State. I want to raise the issue of ash dieback, which is of deep concern to farmers, landowners and rural communities across Ireland. Ash dieback is not just a crisis for forestry; it is an environmental, economic and cultural disaster. For generations, ash trees have been a defining feature of our landscape, vital to biodiversity and central to our rural heritage. Since its introduction, the disease has devastated our woodlands and up to 90% of our ash trees are expected to succumb to it over the next couple of years.

The Government has put grant support in place for landowners who have ash plantations but these supports are deeply flawed. As the grants are paid in stage payments rather then upfront, farmers are expected to shoulder the financial burden of felling and replanting ash trees before they can claim any assistance. This is entirely unrealistic for many landowners, particularly small farmers who do not have the financial reserves to absorb these costs. The landowners are being asked to take on substantial debt just to access the support they are supposedly entitled to. This is not a workable solution. Furthermore, there is a glaring gap in the current system. Landowners who have ash trees in their hedgerows but did not plant them under the formal forestry scheme are completely excluded from any support. These farmers did not plant their ash trees under a Government contract. They planted them as part of responsible land management, maintaining biodiversity and contributing to our rural environment. Yet, when these trees succumb to ash dieback, they are left entirely on their own – no grants, no compensation and no recognition of the loss they have suffered.

This is not acceptable. The response to ash dieback must be fair and inclusive. If we are serious about tackling this crisis, we must reform the grant system so that financial supports are provided upfront, not in staged payments that place undue financial strain on farmers, and so that landowners with ash trees in hedgerows on their land, regardless of whether they were planted under a formal forestry scheme, are included in any support measures.

The Government has a responsibility to stand by rural communities in times of crisis. Ash dieback is one such crisis, and it demands a response that is both practical and fair. I urge the Minister of State to take this back to the Minister for agriculture to act now to revise the grant system and support all affected landowners to ensure no farmer is left out of pocket due to circumstances beyond their control.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister for State, Deputy Healy-Rae, I thank Senator Collins for this question on supports for ash dieback. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the supports in place to assist affected forest owners.

The Minister of State is keenly aware of the impact this devastating disease has had on forest owners who planted ash. The need for support is well recognised by Government, which is why we have a new reconstitution scheme for ash dieback in the forestry programme. The scheme has a new site clearance grant and enhanced replanting rates. The site clearance grant is being doubled, going from €1,000 to €2,000 per hectare. Improved replanting rates have been reintroduced as well to reflect the increased rates for planting under the new programme. For example, there is a grant of nearly €4,000 per hectare for conifer forests. If one chooses to replant with native trees, that grant goes to €6,744 per hectare, and for agroforestry it is €8,555 per hectare. Furthermore, grants of €2,888 per hectare are available to cover deer fencing. We are also paying annual premiums due to those whose forests have been affected by this awful disease. In addition, farmers whose plantations were impacted by ash dieback and who are still in premium now receive a top-up to bring them in line with the new increased premium rates under the new forestry programme.

Notwithstanding the introduction of a new scheme in 2023, questions about the impact of the disease remained. To address these in a fair manner, an independent review group has been set up. In May 2024, the ash dieback action plan, which was based on the review group’s report, was approved by the previous Government. The action plan addresses all 13 of the review group’s recommendations. It provides for, among other things, an additional €79.5 million in funding to pay for a new climate action performance payment, CAPP, scheme. This payment of €5,000 per hectare is available to forest owners who fully engage with the Department’s reconstitution schemes and carry out replanting. This brings to more than €230 million the overall financial package available to ash plantation owners who are dealing with or have dealt with ash dieback.

As part of the action plan, a task force was established with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the plan. This task force comprises officials from the Department and stakeholders, including ash forest owners. The role of the task force is to ensure the plan is implemented in an effective way, with a co-ordinated response and a resolution of obstacles to its implementation. The task force has met four times and is scheduled to meet again in June. Some useful clarifications have been made in those meetings and actions agreed to progress the implementation of the plan.

The Department has been receiving applications for the CAPP first instalment since late August 2024. The applications received so far have paid out nearly €3.5 million. There are obviously many more ash owners eligible to apply for the first instalment, and the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, encourages them to do so through the Department’s agfood facility. To promote awareness of supports available for ash dieback, we have placed clear and accessible information in the farming media and will continue to do so, with a renewed awareness campaign also planned. Department staff will also be in attendance at the Tullamore Show and the National Ploughing Championships and will speak to owners about the financial assistance available. The Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, encourages ash forest owners who have not yet applied for the enhanced reconstitution scheme to do so. This would give them the financial support to clear and reconstitute affected sites and also enable them to apply for the climate action performance payment of €5,000 per hectare.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. The crisis did not happen by accident. It was due to Government failure to address the lack of good import controls. I am concerned about where the costs will land. Plantation owners who applied for the grant will get it back but it will come in staged payments, so they will be out of pocket until they have the trees planted. What about the landowners who have ash trees in hedgerows or elsewhere on their land, who did not apply under the scheme? I hear it said all the time that lessons will be learned but if the cost falls to the landowners, the only lesson they will learn is not to take up a scheme, not to plant ash trees again and not to plant the next thing the Government wants them to plant because they will end up in the same situation.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Collins for her contribution. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, is committed to supporting those forest owners who have been so adversely affected by ash dieback. He encourages all to avail of the financial help and very generous support in the programme the Department has put in place.