The director of forestry at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) believes they have sufficient resources to deal with the threat posed by the spruce bark beetle.
Barry Delany made the comments at Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine yesterday (Wednesday, January 17) where members discussed the potential impact on Irish forestry from the pest.
The committee heard that only area from where coniferous roundwood can be imported into Ireland is from a specific UK Government authority assigned ‘pest free area’ (PFA) in the west of Scotland.
Delany said that Scottish authorities carry out regular surveys for the beetles which include site inspections for timber due to be traded with Ireland, lures, traps and bi-annual aerial surveys.
To date, there have been no findings of spruce bark beetles within the PFA.
“The Scottish authorities, whether they’re a member of the EU or not, they’re part of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
“For them to send any product to us, their national plant protection authority must carry out the appropriate surveys and must be able to show to us that they can comply with the EU import requirements, which is what they do,” he said.
Imports
There are three ports where roundwood logs are imported into Ireland: Rushbrooke port and Passage West port in Co. Cork and Wicklow port.
These ports are designated border control posts for roundwood logs where enhanced inspection facilities have been put in place since Brexit.
Seamus Dunne, senior forestry inspector with DAFM, told the committee that the imported timber can only be released once the department is satisfied they comply with plant protection standards.
This includes documentation checks and physical examination of the timber.
“There are literally thousands of logs on every shipment. We don’t look at every log obviously. We take a sample of about 30-45 or 50 from the top, middle and bottom and we give that an examination.
“We have found bark beetles sporadically particularly on the older logs, but any bark beetles that we have found, we’ve sent them to the lab and they’ve been bark beetles that we have here, so native beetles.
“To date, we haven’t found any of the quarantine bark beetles that we’re interested in. Once we’re satisfied then with that, we release the cargo,” he said.
Dunne said that native beetles were detected in two consignments over the past month in ports in Wicklow and Cork.
DAFM
Barry Delany said that DAFM has “sufficient staff” to inspect the timber consignments.
“For 2024, we will be doing 100% inspections for all these consignments that are coming through and I believe we have the resources for that,” he said.
Several members of the committee voiced serious concerns about the measures currently in place.
Delaney invited the committee to Wicklow Port to view the department’s operation first hand.
Delaney also said that a “negotiated agreement” with Scotland is “imminent” which would include increased surveillance by Scottish authorities and certain restrictions on where product might come from.
He said that the department will shortly present the findings of a review of the biosecurity measures it is currently undertaking to the committee.
He added that the Forest Health Network will engage with stakeholders on the issue of the bark beetle, along with other matters.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has called for a temporary suspension on the importation of timber from Scotland until a full review of the biosecurity measures for the great spruce bark beetle is undertaken.
However, Delany said that a temporary ban on imports may result in Ireland being found in breach of international trade agreements.
He said where Scotland has set up a PFA and is prepared to stand over it on the basis of surveys and there has been no evidence of findings of the beetle it would be “very difficult” for Ireland “to unilaterally take such action under the plant health regulations”.