Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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480. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the Asian hornet monitoring programme includes dedicated resourcing for ports in response to recent sightings of the Asian hornet. [52933/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The Asian Hornet, an invasive species, falls under the responsibility of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The NPWS leads on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species and my Department engages regularly with the NPWS and the National Biodiversity Data Centre regarding the threat of the Asian Hornet.

My Department operates the Asian Hornet Monitoring Programme which is a voluntary programme for beekeepers, established to assist in the early detection of the Asian Hornet. Programme participants are provided with Asian Hornet traps and attractant free of charge. Participants are required to monitor their trap on a regular basis. If a sighting of an Asian Hornet is suspected/trapped, participants can report their sighting to the Department and suspect specimens can be submitted to our Plant Health Laboratory for confirmation. Beekeepers from areas considered to present an increased risk of the introduction of exotic pests e.g. in the vicinity of ports are particularly encouraged to participate in this programme.

Asian Hornet traps have also been deployed to our main Border Control Posts. Further traps may be deployed if required based on the available data and evidence and in consultation with the Asian Hornet Management Group (AHMG) which is chaired by the NPWS.