Minister Delivers Ash Dieback Update

Northern Ireland’s Agricultural Minister has updated stakeholders on the handling of the ash dieback disease.

Michelle O’Neill met with woodland growers, forestry agents, nursery and trade representatives, hurley manufacturers and local council officials at Stormont.

She said: "My policy continues to be one of prevention, containment and eradication of this disease. Since my last meeting with stakeholders we have been able to maintain a "Fortress Ireland" approach to plant health, taking full advantage of our island status to give all the protection possible with parallel legislation north and south to ban the import of plants for planting and to place controls on the import of ash logs. The wisdom of this approach has been confirmed by the EU Standing Committee on Plant Health, who agreed that Ireland north and south should be given time to show if the control strategy will work."

The Minister also explained how ash dieback was confirmed in Northern Ireland by tracing the movement of young plants from nurseries associated with infection and from wider surveillance of young plantations.

"I want to thank the commercial nurseries, the forestry companies, and the woodland owners for their co-operation with us which helped us to find and destroy infected plants very quickly," she remarked.

"So far, we have not found any evidence that the disease has spread to older trees in woodlands and hedges. At this early stage this gives us some grounds for hope that the disease is not established in Ireland."

Possible actions against the spread of the disease were discussed, including chemical treatment of leaves and twigs, bio-security by the wider public and by professionals and wider public engagement in spotting symptoms.

Ash Dieback has so far been confirmed in young ash saplings at 14 sites in counties Antrim, Down, Derry and Tyrone.

(IT)