Farmers with outbreaks of ash dieback in older forestry plantations outlined the crippling losses they are facing at a meeting in Kilkenny last week. A number of the farmers present claimed that the EU phytosanitary controls on trade in young trees between member states were ineffective and, as a result, the disease entered Ireland on imported young ash plants.

Authorities in exporting member states are responsible for inspecting nurseries and certifying that their plant stock is free of disease. Here, the Forest Service carries out those responsibilities and also ensures that imported stock is certified.

At the Kilkenny meeting, growers claimed that these controls failed but that the support package put in place by the Department of Agriculture is inadequate.

Destroying crops

Farmers with significant outbreaks of the disease have been required to destroy their crops. If they replant this land to forestry, they will receive planting and maintenance grants. But because they have already received 20 years of forestry premia on this land they will not receive additional premia and will earn no income from this land for many years, until first thinning.

If they wish to return this land to grass or other farming they must repay the 20 years of premium.

Farmers at the Kilkenny meeting claimed that support for destruction of infected plantation is inadequate. Larger timber has gone for burning in power stations but some farmers claimed they got no income from this transaction.

The meeting was organised by the IFA and attended by senior officials from the Forestry Service. They committed to forwarding growers’ concerns to Minister of State Andrew Doyle, who is responsible for forestry. Up to 80 farmers were present.

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