Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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430. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he expects the policies and procedures with respect to ash dieback disease to be updated and operational; his plans regarding the reconstitution grant available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29490/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Chalara or Ash Dieback disease is a disease of ash trees caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The first confirmed finding of the disease in Ireland was made on October 2012 at a forestry plantation site in Co. Leitrim which had been planted in 2009 with trees imported from continental Europe.

The Department introduced a Reconstitution Scheme (Chalara Ash Dieback) in 2013 to restore forests planted under the afforestation scheme which had suffered from or which were associated with plants affected by the disease. The Department has continued to undertake systematic and targeted surveys annually for the disease. In addition to the increase in findings in forest plantations, there is also an increasing diversity of sites where the disease is now being identified (i.e. in terms of provenance, age, area/extent, topography and species mix etc.). Over half the recent findings in forest plantations are in ash trees of native Irish origin.

The Department has also received considerable feedback from affected landowners, Registered Forester/Forestry Companies, and other forest sector stakeholders, in relation to the increasing prevalence of the disease and aspects of the Reconstitution Scheme.

A comprehensive review of the overall policy objectives and options of the All-Ireland Chalara Control Strategy has been finalised. As part of the review process the Department committed to revise certain aspects of its policies and procedures around the disease. The outcome of this review does not include an increase in the grant rate for this scheme. However, other changes to the scheme are as follows:

- The mechanisms and procedures by which infected ash plantations are reported, inspected, sampled, tested, and if confirmed positive progressed for clearance or other disease management works have been streamlined;

- The use of two different notification letters (one to the forest owner and the other to the Registered Forester on file) has been discontinued, with greater clarity given as to why the forest owners need to undertake the removal and destruction of infected ash trees or other disease control measures, as well as the financial supports available;

- The rules in relation to where a second instalment afforestation grant is due for payment on a plantation where the disease has been confirmed have been clarified and made less burdensome for both the forest owner and his/her Registered Forester/Registered Forestry Company.

- The timeframe given in the notification letter, which currently requires a forest owner to remove and destroy the ash trees and undertake any related sanitation actions within 8 weeks of the date of the letter, has been revised to reflect the practicalities for both the forest owner and his/her Registered Forester/Registered Forestry Company.

A focused consultation with industry stakeholder representatives and other relevant bodies on proposed Scheme changes and related matters has been completed and the changes above have been incorporated into the scheme.