Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
1038. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of recorded/confirmed dates of fireblight erwinia amylovora infections detections by his Department to date, per county; the steps his Department is taking to contain the spread of any further infections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12826/24]
View answerPromoting and safeguarding plant health is a key strategic principle of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2020-2025. Within the EU, plant health is governed by the EU Plant Health Regulation 2031 of 2016 and the Official Controls Regulations 625 of 2017. These Regulations harmonise the rules on several areas, including rules on outbreaks of pests and diseases.
My Department conducts annual plant health surveillance checks for plant pests and diseases, including the protected zone pest, Fireblight (Erwinia amylovora (Burrill) Winslow et al. ). There have been no confirmed outbreaks of Fireblight to date in 2024. However, in 2023, seventeen outbreaks of Fireblight were confirmed. Details of 2023 outbreaks are presented in the attached Table.
At confirmed outbreak locations a 500m infested zone and a 5km buffer zone are established and further intensive surveys and sampling are carried out to determine the extent of the outbreak. Under EU rules a 24-month period from the official confirmation of the presence of the pest is permitted to complete surveillance and achieve eradication, where possible.
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. A protected zone is 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 (except Galway city) has protected zone status for Fireblight.
To mitigate risk, hosts plant for the disease Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) are subject to the following import requirements :
• Imports from another Member State are required to be notified to my Department no more than 48 hours after their arrival and plants must be accompanied by a specific Protected Zone Plant Passport which certifies that the protected zone requirements have been fulfilled.
• With the exception of certain third countries where imports are prohibited, imports from third countries are required to be pre-notified to my Department one working day in advance of the expected arrival. Consignments require a phytosanitary certificate for entry into protected zones in accordance with the requirements in Implementing Regulation 2019/2072.
