Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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534. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government in view of the risk of rapid spread of invasive asian hornets with multiple confirmed sightings in Cork the contingency and monitoring plans his Department has; the funding allocated in 2025 for eradication or containment; and the way in which the Government will support beekeepers and agricultural/horticultural businesses in high-risk zones [52111/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Parks & Wildlife Service led the response to the recent Asian Hornet operation, which led to the location and safe removal of two Asian Hornet nests. Monitoring is still being carried out to ensure that the immediate threat has been neutralised. A workshop with beekeepers is planned in the coming weeks to discuss the lessons learned from this first nest and to determine an action plan for next year. Decisions on eradication and containment will arise out of that workshop.

At the same time, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) operates an Asian Hornet Monitoring Programme. Programme participants are provided with Asian Hornet traps free of charge. Participants are required to monitor their trap on a regular basis and report any suspicious sightings. That Department has been continuously monitoring for the Asian Hornet as part of a broader surveillance programme (Sentinel Apiary Programme) since 2016. The aim of the Sentinel Apiary Programme is to ensure the early detection of three exotic pests, Small Hive beetle (SHB), Tropilaelaps spp. and the Asian Hornet.