Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle is urging people to buy a real Irish Christmas tree. The Christmas tree industry is reported as being worth €25 to the Irish economy.

In the region of 650,000 trees are harvested each year, with 400,000 sold in Ireland and 200,000 exported, with the UK, France and Germany being the main destinations.

In discussing the investment in time and expense with a good-quality Christmas tree reported as taking seven to 10 years to produce Doyle said “the quality of Christmas trees produced in Ireland has increased significantly in recent years. This improvement is due to increased expertise being employed to manage and prepare trees for more discerning customers.

The improvement has also been facilitated by my Department’s Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector and I encourage Christmas tree growers to consider applying for the 2020 scheme.”

Capital investments

The scheme is summarised as assisting growers who wish to make capital investments in specialised equipment to manage and harvest the crop.

Popular investments listed include specialised tree pruners, tree netters and palletisers, which are highlighted as protecting quality and allowing for efficient transport.

The 2020 scheme is now open and those interested should note it will close soon on 17 January 2020. Full details can be found here or requested from Horticulture and Plant Health Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co Kildare (Tel: 01-505 8886).

Empty pesticide containers

The EPA advises that any empty pesticide containers and their caps should be triple-rinsed and, once adequately washed, punctured to prevent secondary use.

Containers should be safely stored and brought to a local bring recycling centre or recycled with farm plastics.

Unused product should be stored in a secure lockable location that prevents access to children.

The advice is also to keep a bucket of sand in the storage area that can be quickly used to help deal with any spillages.

Farmers should take note that they are required to record pesticide use and have records available on inspection.

This includes recording the PCS number, location and crop on which it has been applied, the date and application rate.