The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will this evening (Wednesday, January 17) discuss the threat posed to Irish forestry from the spruce bark beetle.
Members from the committee will be briefed by a delegation from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), along with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The spruce bark beetle, which has been detected across the UK, tunnels into the bark of living trees to lay eggs and the larvae then feed on the living woody material. This forms cavities which can weaken the tree and eventually kill it.
The IFA estimates that around 200,000ha of Irish forestry could be at risk if the beetle arrives here.
The association has reiterated its call 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, the DAFM has said that imports of roundwood logs from a pest free area (PFA) in Scotland are subject to an inspection regime.
Cathaoirleach of the Oireachtas committee Deputy Jackie Cahill said that “the economic consequences of the bark beetle getting into his country would be immense for our spruce plantations”.
“The committee will be questioning the department on what bio-security measures are in place to prevent this bark beetle from entering the country,” he said.
Bark beetle
Ahead of addressing the Oireachtas committee, IFA president Francie Gorman said that we must avoid the mistakes made with ash dieback when it comes to the bark beetle.
“A spruce bark beetle outbreak would cause extensive economic loss to the forest industry, but it would be farmers that would bear the brunt of the economic consequences, which include a reduction in the commercial value of the infested trees, increased management costs as well as replanting costs.
“While measures are currently in place to prevent an outbreak, the effectiveness of these measures must be scrutinised and it must be a priority to avoid another devastating blow to the forestry sector.
“We must not put the forestry industry and our forests at risk for short-term gains. The experience from Europe is that overlooking just one spruce bark beetle can lead to widespread infestation,” he said.
IFA National Farm Forestry Committee chair Jason Fleming said there is lack of confidence amongst farmers in the State’s ability to prevent the beetle arriving here.
“Farmers do not trust that adequate biosecurity measures are in place to prevent the introduction of the spruce bark beetle to Ireland, or that the current inspection regime is sufficient and consider the importation of timber from the pest free areas to be a major threat to the health of their spruce forests,” he said.
Fleming wants the government to be more proactive on the issue and to take every precaution to ensure that Ireland remains free of this pest.
Ash dieback
IFA president Francie Gorman also said that farmers are disappointed at the pace with which the department is dealing with ash dieback.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Pippa Hackett told Agriland that a comprehensive implementation plan for ash dieback would be brought to Cabinet by December.
The comments followed the publication of an independent review of supports for farmers impacted by ash dieback which stated that the tree disease “needs to be treated as a national emergency”.
“Farmers were relieved following the publication of the report, that for the first time in 12 years, the impact on them and their farm families as well as the financial losses were properly recognised.
“Now they are concerned that it was just another false dawn, and that the recommendations will come to nothing.
“We need the government to publish an implementation plan as a matter of urgency and introduce a new ash dieback scheme, a scheme that properly supports and compensates farmers with ash dieback, as per the recommendations,” the IFA president said.