Forestry faces a ‘lost generation’ of farmers due to ash wipeout

Growing anger at inaction on impact of ash dieback disease which could cost growers over €1 billion

A GENERATION of farmers could be lost to forestry as a result of the treatment of plantation owners in the wake of the ash dieback disease disaster.

The Government’s ‘Ash Reconstitution Scheme’ has now been suspended for more than 26 months, with hundreds of plantation owners unable to manage and plan for the future of their ash holdings.

Forestry sources estimate that losses to ash growers from ash dieback disease could eventually top €1bn.

IFA forestry chairperson Vincent Nally says ash growers have been “thrown to the wolves” by the Department of Agriculture, and claims the Government will struggle to entice farmers into forestry as a result.

Just 3,500ha of forestry were planted in Ireland last year, well below the 8,000ha per year target in the Government’s Climate Action Plan and the 20,000ha per year target requested by the Green Party.

A new Reconstitution Scheme was expected early in 2020 but progress is now unlikely until a new government is formed.

The Farming Independent understands that the Department will look to Europe to part-fund the scheme, which could cost hundreds of millions of euro to implement.

Mr Nally says plantation owners have been left “high and dry” by the Department and this treatment will jeopardise the future of forestry in Ireland.

“They [the Department] have procrastinated and held off for so long, it is very unfair for growers to be left in limbo,” he said. “News travels, and the way ash plantation owners have been treated is contrary to anything like best practice and not like the way other [farm] sectors were treated over the years.

“They are talking about trying to plant more land but we are going in reverse. Those with ash plantations are being thrown to the wolves.”

Mr Nally described the Reconstitution Scheme as a “red-line issue” for the next Minister for Agriculture and one that could lead to protests if not addressed.

The current Reconstitution Scheme has been frozen to new applicants for more than two years as the Department and Teagasc examine its viability.

More than €7 million was paid out under this scheme between 2013 and 2018.

A spokesperson from the Department told the Farming Independent that “value for money” for the taxpayer and forestry owners was a major part of the scheme’s review.

Restoring

The original scheme was introduced in March 2013 and was aimed at restoring ash dieback-affected forests planted under the afforestation scheme.

In April 2018 the Reconstitution Scheme was put on hold as the Department initiated a review of the policy response to ash dieback disease.

The review included “detailed field consideration of damage level evaluation, together with a broader range of silvicultural and management options available to forest owners.

“The review was undertaken with the assistance of Teagasc and international experts.”