Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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1113. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a report which has to be compiled by an official in his Department concerning the ash dieback disease in a person's (details supplied) plantation will be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16093/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Further to a report from the person's Registered Forester of symptoms of ill-health in ash trees in the forest plantation in question, a Forestry Inspector from the Department attended the site last Autumn (2017) and samples were taken to be analysed in a laboratory for the presence of Hymenoschyphus fraxineus, Chalara ash dieback disease.

The analysis of these samples, which was undertaken at the Department’s Plant Health Laboratory, proved negative for presence of the disease. The person’s Registered Forester was advised of this negative result by the Department by e-mail at the end of February 2018.

In relation to the submission of a Form 3 application for the payment of the 2^ndinstalment afforestation grant, there appears to be a misunderstanding of the options available to the forest owner and/or their Registered Forester. It has been Department policy since April 2017 that Form 3s may be submitted for processing, notwithstanding a suspected presence of Chalara ash dieback disease in a forest plantation. In such cases, the application will be processed so long as the plantation has otherwise been successfully established to Department’s standards.

Details of this and other relevant policies can be found in Circular No. 6 of 2017 and are posted on the Department’s website at:

The Department will send a reminder e-mail, and contact the Registered Forester in person, to reconfirm the results of the tests undertaken and to refer them to the relevant policy documents and options open to them and their client.