A member of the Seanad has said that the “electoral cycle” has helped to progress a new scheme on ash dieback, which is coming before cabinet today (Tuesday, April 30).
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State for land use and biodiversity Pippa Hackett are set to seek a €79.5 million package for farmers and landowners impacted by the disease.
The funding will be used to provide for a €5,000/ha payment to farmers who clear ash sites and re-establish new forests in their place.
Initial reactions in the political sphere to this long-awaited development have been broadly positive.
Senator Victor Boyhan said that the upcoming European and local elections in June have helped move the proposal forward.
“Clearly the electoral cycle has helped progress this package, at this point in time… That’s political leverage coming from farmers and rural voters, being canvassed across the constituencies at this time, democracy at work,” Boyhan said.
Boyhan, a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said that he was “keen to study the detail and level of compensation” as it may be “too little, too late” for many farmers and foresters.
“Grants for the farmers and landowners under the scheme are expected to cover the costs of felling, clearing and re-establishing the sites impacted by ash dieback, that’s where the focus will have to be.
“Pension funds and investors in forestry have been devastated by this fungal disease, their investments have wilted, and growers have lost confidence in the sector too,” the senator added.
He said that today’s package must substantially cover the costs and recompense farmers, foresters and investors for the loss of expected timber yields.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Oireachtas agriculture committee, Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill, said that the scheme will be of financial benefit to plantation owners.
“The Oireachtas committee…has had a number of sessions on ash dieback and we’ve continuously raised the issue of compensation for these landowners and farmers.
“€5,000/ha, in addition to the grants for clearing and replanting already in place, will be of financial benefit to these plantation owners,” Cahill said.
“Obviously, it doesn’t compensate for the huge loss of income, but it’s a substantial increase for those affected, and farmers who have already availed of previous ash dieback schemes will qualify for this payments,” he added.
Outside of the Oireachtas agriculture committee, Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan – a frequent critic of the government’s forestry policy – also welcomed the scheme.
“I think the first thing to be said regarding this development is that it is about time,” Noland said.
She added: “We all know that the failure of government to provide pragmatic solutions to the ash dieback crisis has caused untold reputational damage to the sector and incalculable levels of stress for farmers and those within the forestry sector who relied on ash as an income stream.”
She, like Boyhan, cited the upcoming elections.
“We now have the outlines of a package that I sincerely hope will not turn into another bureaucratic mess. We need a working, accessible scheme and not just a headline for the ministers prior to the local elections,” Nolan said.