Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1548. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of the amount spent on the response to ash dieback. and the funding given to landowners, forestry owners, and farmers to replace trees, in each of the years 2020 to 2022, inclusive. [12759/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may be aware that the first confirmed finding of Ash Dieback Disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineaus) in Ireland was made on 12^thOctober 2012 at a forestry plantation site in County Leitrim which had been planted in 2009 with trees imported from continental Europe.

In March 2013 the Department introduced a Reconstitution Scheme (Chalara Ash Dieback) to restore forests planted under the afforestation scheme which had suffered from, or which were associated with plants affected by disease.

Following a Review of the National Response to Ash Dieback Disease arising from scientific advice and evidence that eradication of ash dieback disease is no longer feasible the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) was launched in June 2020.

A total of €8.9 million has been expended to date on both schemes.

The following table details the figures for the years 2022, 2021 and 2022. A total of €1,973,140 was spent in those years.

In the past week, Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has responsibility for the sector, launched an Interim Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback via general de minimis which contains a doubling of site clearance rates, increased grant rates and an improved premium regime. The Deputy will be aware that my Department is working closely with the EU Commission to secure State Aid approval for the new forestry programme and a scheme for the reconstitution of ash dieback will be launched as part of that programme.