Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if an assurance will be given that the moratorium on clearfelling in catchments with Margaritifera will remain until an appropriate assessment has been undertaken under Article 6 (3) of the Habitats Directive and that the opinion of the general public will be obtained as part of this process. [18890/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The freshwater pearl mussel is protected under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the Wildlife Acts (1976, amended in 2000). This species is currently in decline throughout Europe with sedimentation and nutrient enrichment contributing significantly to this decline.

My Department has established a Steering Group comprising representatives of the Forest Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte with the remit of examining the impact of forestry operations on the freshwater pearl mussel catchments areas and to draw up operational guidelines. A Technical Working Group was established which has now submitted draft guidelines to the Steering Group for consideration. The management of tree felling within such areas is an important element of the guidelines. It is intended that public consultations will take place before the draft guidelines are published.

In the meantime, a moratorium has been in place on clearfelling in all cases advised to my Department by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as sensitive for the pearl mussel. It is my intention that a moratorium will remain in place until such time as the guidelines are agreed and the public consultation process is concluded.