Forest owners vented their anger at an Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) forestry event in Tullamore on Thursday over the Government’s “totally inadequate response” to ash dieback.

Plantation owners affected by the disease challenged Minister of State Pippa Hackett and her officials over the level of support offered to farmers with ash.

They were particularly scathing in their criticism of Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue for his recent announcement ruling out compensation.

Minister Hackett last week announced the establishment of an independent review group to assess existing and previous supports available to landowners with ash dieback and to determine future outcomes.

Action

However, Simon White, chair of the Limerick Tipperary Woodland Owners (LTWO) and vice-chair of the IFA farmer forestry group, said farmers were not interested in a review. “We don’t need a review, we need action,” White told the meeting.

“We need farmers to be allowed to take out their dead trees and to be compensated for their losses,” he said.

“Farmers who wanted to return their lands to grass or tillage should be allowed to do so,” White maintained, while “those who replanted their lands should be eligible for the planting premiums for a further 20 years”.

The Department launched the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) in 2020 to support the 6,000 farmers affected by ash dieback.

However, the scheme has been roundly criticised as inadequate by plantation owners and fewer than 420 forestry growers have been accepted into the support scheme.

The independent review group tasked with carrying out the assessment of ash dieback supports includes former CEO of the Scottish Forestry Commission Jo O’Hara; former managing director of Irish Water Jerry Grant; and former director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Matt Crowe.

Although Minister Hackett said consultation with stakeholders will be an essential part of the review, White claimed the group chosen to do the work was “deficient”.

‘Voice for farmers’

It did not include a “voice for farmers” who had suffered the economic loss due to ash dieback, he said.

“The minister’s announcement raises concerns that affected farmers and landowners will have to wait even longer.”

White then walked out of the meeting when Minister Hackett refused to agree that farmers with ash dieback could remove dead trees. The LTWO chair warned that farmers affected by ash dieback would “protest and protest” until the compensation issue was settled. Minister Hackett has said that the ash dieback review group’s final report is due by 15 September.

In a wide-ranging opening conference address, Tim Cullinan, IFA president, placed strong emphasis on the need for compensation for ash plantation owners while also addressing the need to remove the replanting obligation. He said many farmers were now turning away from forestry as “the risks were too high”.