Written Answers Nos. 535-554
535. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 964 of 11 May 2021, the exact number of direct ecologists working with the Forest Service on a full-time basis; the person or body that employs the 12 other full-time ecologists that are not assigned civil service grades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27547/21]
View answerThere are nine full time ecologists working as permanent employees with the Forestry Inspectorate. The other ecologists working for the Department on forestry files work for Fehily Timoney, Environmental Facilitation Ltd while other ecologists working part time on files are predominantly sole traders.
536. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 965 of 11 May 2021, the reason he states that he expects output of licences for May to be higher when the dashboard for the week ending 7 May 2021 noted that the Forest Service had only issued 36 licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27548/21]
View answerThe Department is continuing to make improvements to its licensing system in order to streamline the processing of licences.
This does not obviate the need to consider the potential environmental impact of each individual application but there has been an increased output of 109 licences for the third week in May (of which 101 were new licences and eight were re-issued licences from previous FAC appeal decisions). This means that, as predicted, the output for May will be higher than the previous month.
537. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 966 of 11 May 2021, if the Forest Service sought expert advice to make these changes to procedures and practices or if all changes were introduced by the Forest Service headed up by the senior inspector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27549/21]
View answerThe Department made very significant changes to its Appropriate Assessment procedures in 2019. These were in relation to increasing the zone of influence for consideration of appropriate assessment from 3km to 15km and to implement in the European Case law in relation to the consideration of mitigation at screening stage.
There were a number of inputs to the decision including NPWS advice, expert advice from environmental consultants, feedback from the Forestry Appeals Committee and an examination of practice in other sectors.
538. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 967 of 11 May 2021, if a person (details supplied) is the project manager for Project Woodland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27550/21]
View answerThe Jo O'Hara report recommended the recruitment of project management expertise to assist in the implementation of the project. The Department responded immediately to this recommendation by recruiting an external project management specialist, Mr. Eamon O'Doherty to this role, starting on 4th May 2021.
This is a full-time role dedicated entirely to the implementation of Project Woodland and Mr O'Doherty is based in the Department working as part of our forestry team.
539. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the forest service advised Coillte to withdraw any forestry licence applications at any point in recent years; if this did happen, the reason behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27551/21]
View answerThe following table shows the number of Coillte licence applications that have been recorded as withdrawn during the years 2016 - 2020.
|
Year |
Withdrawn |
|
2017 |
59 |
|
2018 |
65 |
|
2019 |
60 |
|
2020 |
23 |
In most cases, licences are withdrawn when specific issues are raised by the Department and Coillte subsequently decides to withdraw the licence for further work before submitting a revised application.
540. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm under what the GPC category did the forest service approve and grant-aid Coillte/Bord na Mona to plant disused peatlands with native species; if he will confirm whether or not the same scheme is available to every landowner in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27552/21]
View answerBord na Móna formally ended all peat harvesting on its lands by the end of 2019. As a result of this cessation in peat harvesting, industrial cutover peatlands are becoming increasingly available for other land use options, including opportunities for the restoration of native woodland habitats.
This availability of land occurs at a point in time where there is a greater demand than ever for new woodlands, to counteract existing biodiversity and climate challenges. Native woodlands are an important part of Ireland’s natural heritage, history and culture, and are unique in terms of their biodiversity. They are home to specialised native woodland animals, birds, insects and plants. They provide numerous ecosystem services, including the protection and enhancement of water quality, wider habitat linkage, landscape enhancement, opportunities for outdoor recreation and interpretation, wider rural development linkages, and carbon capture.
Further to a request for support for exploration of possibilities for native woodland creation on former industrial cutaway peatlands by Bord na Móna, the Department, has developed a Pilot Scheme that is intended to facilitate the establishment of new native woodlands on state owned former industrial cutover peatlands on a pilot basis. This Pilot Scheme will facilitate native woodland regeneration at landscape scale, aiming at minimum intervention, and is compatible with other forms of peatland restoration measures at this scale.
The overall purpose of the Pilot Scheme is to support biodiversity, help reduce carbon emissions and stabilise soils to minimise soil erosion. These objectives are therefore different to the objectives of the current Afforestation Scheme. The Pilot Scheme aims at mimicking natural vegetation establishment processes in high, dry areas and on slopes that are not suitable for re-wetting. Bord na Móna intends to complement their rehabilitation plans for end-of-life cutaway bogs by creating a mosaic of wetlands and sparse woodlands that enhances biodiversity value, stabilises the loose peatland soil and reduces carbon losses. No project like this has been undertaken before and the Pilot therefore includes the establishment of trials to explore the most effective silvicultural techniques.
The Pilot Scheme was developed in accordance with provisions of the Forestry Act 2014 and is compliant with national and EU legislation, operational and environmental guidelines.
Following the specific purpose of this Pilot Scheme, the Scheme is confined to State bodies who own former industrial cutaway peatlands.
Grant funding for native woodlands created under this Pilot Scheme is subject to the applicant obtaining a licence for afforestation from the Minister. No licence under the Pilot Scheme has been approved to date.
Grants paid under this Pilot Scheme are not following the GPC system which is applied to projects funded under the Department’s Afforestation Scheme, but are on the basis of vouched expenditure and up to a maximum rate per hectare of native woodland established. To be eligible for grant aid, each plot within a plantation must conform to as specifically defined Industrial Cutaway Woodland (ICW) category.
541. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will refer the forest service to the Public Accounts Committee in order to assess whether it is value for money for the Irish taxpayer, given the current state of the forestry sector when it comes to timber supplies and the backlog of licence applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27553/21]
View answerThe Forestry Service is part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which is amenable to the Public Accounts Committee.
The Irish forestry sector is a significant employer in rural Ireland of almost 12,000 jobs. Improving the licensing situation is a key priority for me, Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has responsibility for forestry and the Department and no effort is being spared to achieve this. We need to maintain an intense focus on achieving this. Some early progress is being made with licences up 15% year on year and I fully expect this figure to increase as the year goes on.
Delays in forestry licensing arose because of a very significant change in procedures in relation to Appropriate Assessment as a result of European Court of Justice judgements and subsequent interpretation by the Irish courts and the Forestry Appeals Committee.
All efforts have been made to address this situation with additional inspectorate, ecology and administrative resources recruited, along with training and guidance for both Departmental staff and registered foresters. The complexity of introducing a completely new assessment procedure inevitably took time to take effect and this has affected output. Having said that, there have been recent gains in productivity, with the 1,236 licences issued to date this year representing a 15% increase on the same period last year. As regards felling, a volume of just over 2.2 million cubic metres has issued this year, which is a 32% increase on the same period last year and represents 54% of the COFORD Roundwood Forecast which predicts a potential harvest of 4.1 million cubic metres in 2021.
While we moving in the right direction, we are more than aware of the impact of the backlog on the sector and, in order to improve the functioning and delivery of the licensing process, Minister Hackett, launched Project Woodland in February. This puts in place a framework consisting of a Project Board and four Working Groups, chaired by independent chairs and with outside stakeholders as members, which aims at resolving the backlog and introducing more efficient and effective processes. The process improvement exercise will examine, among other things, whether resources may be deployed more effectively and an organisational review of forestry teams within the Department will consider the structure, roles and responsibilities of these teams relative to outputs sought.
Along with Minister of State Hackett, I remain hopeful that the framework now in place under Project Woodland will address our current difficulties and will result in a licensing system which meets the needs of forest owners and new applicants and the forestry sector as a whole.
542. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown of the frequency that grading machines in each of the Department approved meat plants were calibrated by Department staff in 2020 and 2021 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27554/21]
View answer543. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown, summary of any of the faults, discrepancies that were detected following inspections or calibration checks of grading machines in Departmental approved meat plants in 2020 and 2021 to date; the actions taken to remedy the problems; if sanctions were handed out by his Department to the meat plants involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27555/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 542 and 543 together.
In 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Section of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducted 405 inspections across 32 factories classifying carcasses. There were 302 inspections in factories where mechanical classification is carried out and 103 inspections in the nine manual grading factories. Over 36,000 carcasses were inspected in total.
In 2020, during unannounced checks, classification officers conducted an average of 14 inspections across the 22 mechanical factories and classified an average of 100 carcasses at each inspection. To date in 2021, classification officers conducted 80 inspections in factories applying mechanical classification and over 8,000 carcasses have been inspected.
The number of inspections significantly exceed the requirement under the relevant EU legislation. The EU legal requirement for monitoring classification is eight inspections per factory per year and must include a minimum of 40 carcasses at each inspection.
Unannounced checks by classification officers verify the on-going accuracy of the automated beef grading methods by using a system of points and limits defined in EU legislation. The mechanical classification method must operate within legally defined tolerances at all times. As with any mechanical system, grading machines can from time to time fall out of tolerance.
Where a machine is found operating outside of tolerance, the factory is instructed to cease mechanical classification and to revert to manual grading. In this scenario, the factory must arrange for the classification machine to be serviced. When this service is completed, the classification section is notified, and classification officers will proceed to conduct a further classification exercise (minimum 100 carcasses) to confirm that the machine is working within the legal tolerances before mechanical grading is allowed to recommence. Farmers are advised through their remittance dockets where manual grading is applied.
The suspension of mechanical grading following an inspection by DAFM occurred on four occasions in 2020. To date in 2021, mechanical classification was suspended on one occasion following an inspection by classification officers.
544. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when his Department will write to each applicant that has lodged an application under the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme and inform them of the contents of circular 5 of 2021 and the way it will affect their individual application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27703/21]
View answer545. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will instruct his officials to organise information and training events for the industry on the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme particularly given the recent new rules associated with the scheme contained in circular 5 of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27704/21]
View answer546. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will instruct his officials to organise information and training events on the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme for forest owners seriously impacted by both the ash dieback disease and the contents of circular 5 of 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27705/21]
View answer547. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm his continued confidence and support for the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme; his views on whether the scheme as currently constituted allowing for the new rules in circular 5 of 2021 is fit for purpose; if it has his full support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27706/21]
View answer548. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of applications under the ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme that have been approved since the launch of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27707/21]
View answer549. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the target for approval of applications by number and area under the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme before the end of December 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27708/21]
View answer550. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he sought a report from a qualified professional on the potential health and safety issues associated with harvesting and recreational activities close to or beside dead and dying ash, both plantations and roadside trees impacted by ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27709/21]
View answer551. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current impact of ash dieback; the rate of spread across the country; and the position of his Department as to the viability of ash trees in forests and individual trees infected by ash dieback. [27710/21]
View answer552. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current information on the incidence of rot and decay in trees infected with ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27711/21]
View answer553. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a Forest Service inspector or inspector of his Department has raised concerns over the practicality or operational feasibility or expressed any negative concerns to senior management within his Department on the existing ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27712/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 553, inclusive, together.
Circular 5 of 2021 concerns the possible requirement for planning permission from the Local Authority where broadleaf high forest is replaced by conifer species and where one or more of a number of other conditions applies. All registered foresters have been directly notified of this circular. As the agent for the land owner, it is expected that a Registered Forester with site specific knowledge should inform the landowner of requirements of the circular and how a specific application may be impacted. The Circular is also available on the Department’s Website.
In normal circumstances, following the introduction of any new scheme or scheme requirements etc, field information and training events are organised for Registered Foresters and provide valuable mechanism to assist in the understanding of any new operational requirements. The organisation of such field events was intended over the last year. However, it was not possible to proceed as this coincided with very significant COVID-19 restrictions around travel and outdoor gatherings. Now that COVID-19 measurers are easing and vaccinations are being rolled out, it is hoped that the opportunity for field training on the requirements of the Reconstitution and Under-planting Scheme and circular 5 of 2021 can be organised.
The Reconstitution and Under-planting Scheme was developed by the Department in order to provide the forest owner with a broader range of silvicultural and management options in support of the ash dieback impacted plantation. The scheme opened for applications in June 2020 and to date there have been over 304 applications with 61 approved to date. Circular 5 of 2021 of 5th May 2021 sets out clarifications that my Department has received under the Planning and Development Regulations from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
As ash dieback disease progresses nationally and within individual plantations, the potential health and safety risks associated with roadside, parkland and forest plantation ash trees will become an issue of increasing importance for land owners, workers and visitors. The Department is aware of these risks. Site specific health and safety issues together with any mitigation measures are the responsibility of the landowner and, ahead of any planned harvesting or forest visits, a risk assessment should be completed to identify potential hazards and mitigation required. This type of health and safety assessment is routinely completed by contractors ahead of any harvesting.
In relation to the impact and distribution of ash dieback disease surveys, since the first finding in 2012 the Department has surveyed the disease. Part of the 2020 survey included a systematic survey of National Forest Inventory points across the country leading to further findings. By the end of 2020, there had been findings in ash in over 660 locations in various settings – forests, nurseries and garden centres, on farm planting, roadside planting, hedgerows and private gardens in all 26 counties. The future viability of ash is under very serious threat. Experience of ash dieback disease observed in most European countries, is that it results in large scale tree mortality and threatens the existence of the ash trees all over the continent. The disease is now widespread in Ireland. However, approximately 1% - 3 % of a given population of ash will be naturally tolerant to the disease and this tolerance is heritable and is stable in trees that are propagated vegetatively and research nationally support by the Department and internationally to establish populations of tolerant material and make it available over the medium and long term.
Research is underway on the impact of rot and decay of ash wood impacted by ash dieback disease. A new research project jointly funded by the Department and DAERA in Northern Ireland called NEXCELSIOR “Next steps in managing the impact of ash dieback disease” – aims to develop evidence-based guidance for foresters to minimise the impact of ash dieback and to maximise the recovery of timber or other products/services and preserve ash as a component in Irish forests and hedgerows. One of the aspects of the project is to assess degradation resulting from dieback infection, to allow the development of recommendations for best practice in timber recovery from ash stands.
With the introduction of any new scheme, meetings are organised to discuss scheme requirements and implementation with staff and identify any issues that may arise. These meetings provide for two-way feedback and the opportunity for Department inspectors to express their views including any concerns they may have. Virtual events have been held to brief Department Inspectors on the Reconstitution and Underplanting scheme.
554. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the initiatives he has taken and proposes to take to develop new markets for the Irish pig farming sector; if he has met with relevant stakeholders on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27728/21]
View answerIncreasing international market access for Irish agri-food exports is a core element of the current Food Wise strategy, which recognises that market access and development is essential to add value to the meat sector in particular. The market development part of the strategy is being implemented by a seven-point action plan launched in April 2017.
In relation to pigmeat specifically, the work of the Department is focused not only on opening new markets but also on enhancing and retaining access to existing international markets. Market priorities are agreed with meat industry representatives each year and regular meetings are held to discuss developments and update them on progress. A recent example of new market access was the opening of the Mexican market for raw frozen pigmeat in May 2020.
In January 2021, the Department finalised the registration of five Irish pigmeat plants with the Vietnamese competent authority to export pork offal which should enable a further expansion of Ireland’s established pigmeat trade to Vietnam. The aim of market access work across all meat species is to ensure that the industry has viable outlets for all parts of the animal carcase which will satisfy a variety of consumer demands, tastes and price points in importing countries.
The success of the Department's market access efforts is reflected in CSO trade statistics which show that Ireland exports pigmeat to almost 60 countries with the top five destinations being the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Denmark and Germany. Cumulatively, these five destinations accounted for some 80% of pigmeat exports in volume terms in 2020. The value of pigmeat exports have also increased by almost 12% since 2017 with volumes remaining largely stable and averaging 278.000 tonnes annually over the same period. The portion of pigmeat exports going to third country markets outside of the EU and the UK has grown in volume terms from 37% in 2017 to 51% last year. In that same period, the total value of Irish pigmeat exports to those markets has increased by nearly €135 million, an increase of two-thirds in just four years.
Engagement with relevant stakeholders is ongoing and was recently expanded with the inaugural meeting on 28th April of the pig roundtable chaired by my colleague Minister of State Martin Heydon T.D.
Further information on my Department’s initiatives in opening and developing overseas outlets for the agri-food sector is available in the Market Access Report which is available on gov.ie.
The Market Access Portal on gov.ie provides details on the full range of open markets and the relevant certification conditions negotiated with importing countries for a wide range of agri-food product categories.
