Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 January 2024
119. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what engagement his Department has had with Scottish authorities on matters of biosecurity with specific reference to the bark beetle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4628/24]
View answer123. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has given consideration to a request from an organisation (details supplied) to temporarily suspend the importation of timber into Ireland while simultaneously setting up a taskforce and a National Forestry Strategy in his Department to oversee and investigate the biosecurity failings that allowed bark beetle to enter County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4633/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 123 together.
Under my Department’s Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2020-2025 my Department is committed to the establishment of a Forest Health Stakeholders’ Engagement Group which will provide the mechanism for direct stakeholder engagement with my Department on forest health issues including bark-beetles. It is important that forest owner groups, including the IFA, are active members of this group.
My Department cannot unilaterally suspend imports from the Scottish Pest Free Area.
It is currently prohibited to import conifer roundwood into Ireland from areas known to be affected by quarantine bark beetle species. The only area internationally from which imports into Ireland of coniferous roundwood with bark is permitted is a specific UK Government authority assigned ‘Pest Free Area’ (PFA) in the West of Scotland.
As long as the Scottish authorities are in position to continue to demonstrate the area from which logs are being sourced is free from the regulated bark beetles Ireland is bound to recognise this area freedom under the phytosanitary trading rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures.
Therefore, my Department will continue to engage directly with Scottish forestry authorities, Northern Ireland and the European Commission to ensure that the pest free status of the island of Ireland is maintained.
