Minister of state at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett announced on Wednesday the establishment of an independent group to review the ash dieback support scheme.

The group will review supports available to landowners with affected ash plantations and will make recommendations on these supports to the minister by 15 September.

Speaking of the need for adequate supports for farmers affected by ash dieback, Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture Claire Kerrane TD said: “While it is positive that Minister Hackett has committed to reviewing existing supports to address ash dieback as they are inadequate, it is disappointing that she will only review the report and recommendations from September. This really misses the urgency of this issue.

Reconstitution scheme

“We already know that the current reconstitution scheme is not sufficient to cover the now extensive costs associated with removal of affected plantations, due to how long this issue has been allowed to go on for.

“I asked the minister in the Dáil just last week if she will look to extending the ash dieback support scheme to meet the actual costs and look again at the compensation package for those affected - all issues we are hearing from across the sector.

“She confirmed that she will review the supports that are available and that they would be reflected in the forthcoming forestry programme. There are issues too with roadside ash dieback, which is a real safety issue, and this needs to be addressed by the minister,” Deputy Kerrane said.

She added that the current schemes in place do not meet the needs of farmers and members of the forestry sector.