Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
632. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide data on the volume of whitethorn being imported into the State; if he will address concerns that this is having an adverse impact on the indigenous timber industry and negatively impacting the potential for employment in the timber sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55226/23]
View answerThe trade and movement of plants and plant products into and within the EU is governed by the EU Plant Health Regulation 2031 of 2016. This Regulation harmonises the rules on the introduction of plants and plant products into the EU from countries outside the EU and the movement of plants and plant products within the EU.
Within the EU, all plants for planting moving between professional operators require a plant passport. EU Plant Passports are issued by Professional Operators who are authorised to do so by the Competent Authority. Within the EU a protected zone can be applied to a region in which a harmful organism which has established in one or more parts of the EU is not present in that region. Ireland is recognised as having a favourable plant health status and has the highest number of protected zones in the EU with 23 pests and diseases listed.
Whitethorn is a host plant for the disease Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) and Ireland has a protected zone for this disease. All host plants entering a protected zone are subject to advance notification and must be accompanied by a specific protected zone Plant Passport which certifies that the requirements of the additional requirements have been fulfilled..
To date in 2023, 1,006,150 plants of Crataegus (hawthorn/whitethorn) have been imported into Ireland from within the EU.
There are no commercial uses of whitethorn wood in the timber industry, therefore little or no impact on employment in the timber sector is anticipated.
