Tipperary TD says Ash Dieback has rendered 5,000 acres in the Premier County 'useless'

Valuable land, including 2,000 hectares, or just under 5,000 acres in Tipperary, has been rendered useless because of Ash Dieback, according to Tipperary TD Michael Lowry.

"Plant and animal life have been wiped out. Livelihoods have been seriously eroded," he told the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, in the Dáil.

The Thurles TD said that the disease hit Ireland in 2012 and now 80% of the country's 123 million ash trees were dead or dying.

"Common sense dictates that the lands should be cleared. It is a logical and sensible move that more than 6,000 landowners across the country should be compensated for this calamity and permitted to clear and reuse their land and return it to productive use," said Deputy Lowry.

While grant aid was is available, so was the requirement to obtain a felling licence, but these licences were not available as Ireland currently had no forestry scheme in place, he said.

‘Landowners are angry and frustrated. Their hands are tied and their pleas are unheard. Reality must prevail on this matter. These trees are have decayed. Landowners must be legally permitted to fell them," said the Independent TD.

Minister McConalogue responded that there was an Interim Reconstitution Scheme in place for Ash Dieback, which had improved terms and conditions and improved supports from the outgoing scheme.

"We are also continuing to review how we go forward with this, and I also made it clear that, any improvements we bring in will apply to those who move now in the Interim Scheme, so there’s no disadvantage to anyone moving now," said the Minister.

Information on the Interim Scheme is available on the Department’s website: www.gov.ie/forestry under Forestry Grants and Schemes.