Blackgrass has still not been declared a noxious weed and added to the Noxious Weeds Act despite Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue’s concerns around biosecurity.

The importation of straw from one farm to another always comes with biosecurity risks, but the importation from England comes with a major risk of blackgrass, a weed which produces 6,000 seeds per plant and cannot be controlled in growing cereal crops.

This weed is prevalent in many parts of England, including the east midlands where some of the straw is reported to be imported from.

Lack of progress

In May 2023, the Department of Agriculture stated that it was examining the Noxious Weeds Act and considering amendments to the list.

The Department commented: “The Minister has asked for this work to be completed as a matter of urgency, and it is anticipated that this work will be completed shortly.”

In February 2024, the Department said it “has continued to actively engage with stakeholder groups to gather views on the efficacy of including blackgrass as part of the ongoing review of amending noxious weeds legislation.

Certain stakeholder groups have sought additional time to fully explore the implications of such a move and have undertaken to revert to the Department with their views shortly.”

The Department has not responded to queries from the Irish Farmers Journal as to what groups it has engaged with and has not provided an update on the matter since February.