Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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185. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the confirmation of ash dieback disease in a hedgerow in Ballinamore, County Leitrim; if he established where the disease originated; the quantity of firewood that has been lost through the culling of ash trees; if restoration works will be carried out to the stock proof fencing damaged by the removal of the trees and the ground impacted by the works; if the trees that were removed will be replaced at a future date; and will there be a compensation package for the inconvenience caused to some farmers through the early rehousing of stock in order to facilitate the tree removal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47431/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The first finding of the Ash dieback disease in Ireland was confirmed in County Leitrim in October 2012 at a forest plantation which had been planted in 2009 with trees imported from continental Europe. This plantation was cleared of these imported ash trees by the end of October 2012. All findings of the disease since then have been associated with imported stock up until the confirmation last month that hedgerow ash trees within and close to this formerly infected plantation tested positive for the disease. It is likely that the disease has spread from the imported trees in the formerly infected plantation to the hedgerow.

The quantity of firewood that has been felled as a result of this operation is currently being calculated. Stock proof fencing is being carried out on the site where fencing has been damaged. Repairs are being made to drains or where ground has been damaged. Other works including reseeding of damaged patches of ground and provision of appropriate hedging trees will also be carried out.

Whilst my Department is doing everything possible to minimise any inconvenience to landowners affected by ash dieback disease, there are no plans to introduce a compensation package.