Paschal Donohoe has announced €298m investment for roads and to tackle invasive plant species. The funding will allow approximately 2,000km of regional and local roads to be maintained. A further 2,000km of road will also be strengthened on the basis of the funding.
The Minister for Transport said maintaining existing road networks and allocating road maintenance and strengthening programmes were priorities for 2016 and “will allow local authorities to plan ahead and decide their annual work programmes”.
Plans to tackle invasive plant species such as Japanese knotweed were also announced today. The Department of Transport will be joining up with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to treat species on the road network.
Minister Donohoe added that in particular Japanese knotweed will be the focus of the initiative this year; on the national road network as “it is estimated that invasive plant species will cost the EU €12bn per year and costs are rising”.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive herbaceous perennial, meaning it is a plant that can live for more than one year. It was introduced as an ornamental plant in the 19th century from Japan and it has since spread across the Ireland. It has in particular spread along watercourses, transport routes and waste grounds where its movement tends to be unrestricted.
It has the ability to spread from any accidental movement or cut stems and is so powerful it has the capability to impact infrastructure.
Andy Doyle, tillage editor at the Irish Farmers Journal said it is such a problem because “it spreads rhizomes and it moves easily when the soil is moved. It grows extremely aggressively and is has the ability to take over the countryside.
“It can penetrate buildings, walls, tarmac and footpaths. It can spread through the garden and can grow through houses. A little piece would grow into two square metres and then ten square metres until it smothers everything.”
In terms of tillage farming, he added that although “it is not a problem at the moment, it has the potential to be.”
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Paschal Donohoe has announced €298m investment for roads and to tackle invasive plant species. The funding will allow approximately 2,000km of regional and local roads to be maintained. A further 2,000km of road will also be strengthened on the basis of the funding.
The Minister for Transport said maintaining existing road networks and allocating road maintenance and strengthening programmes were priorities for 2016 and “will allow local authorities to plan ahead and decide their annual work programmes”.
Plans to tackle invasive plant species such as Japanese knotweed were also announced today. The Department of Transport will be joining up with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to treat species on the road network.
Minister Donohoe added that in particular Japanese knotweed will be the focus of the initiative this year; on the national road network as “it is estimated that invasive plant species will cost the EU €12bn per year and costs are rising”.
Japanese knotweed is an invasive herbaceous perennial, meaning it is a plant that can live for more than one year. It was introduced as an ornamental plant in the 19th century from Japan and it has since spread across the Ireland. It has in particular spread along watercourses, transport routes and waste grounds where its movement tends to be unrestricted.
It has the ability to spread from any accidental movement or cut stems and is so powerful it has the capability to impact infrastructure.
Andy Doyle, tillage editor at the Irish Farmers Journal said it is such a problem because “it spreads rhizomes and it moves easily when the soil is moved. It grows extremely aggressively and is has the ability to take over the countryside.
“It can penetrate buildings, walls, tarmac and footpaths. It can spread through the garden and can grow through houses. A little piece would grow into two square metres and then ten square metres until it smothers everything.”
In terms of tillage farming, he added that although “it is not a problem at the moment, it has the potential to be.”
Read more
The Japanese knotweed scourge
IFA presidential hopefuls battle it out on the airwaves
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