Our Activities from the Last Year

The following is a flavour of some of the activities from the last year. 

March 2023 

The widespread death of ash trees becomes more evident every month. Despite years of LTWO campaigning, the Government has ignored the crisis. In March 23 LTWO decided to organise a National Conference on Ash Dieback in Thurles to highlight this catastrophe Speakers included Sean Kelly MEP, Tim Cullinane IFA President, Jackie Cahill, TD. Olive Leavy IFO, Michael Fahy Forestry contractor. Carol Nolan TD Richard O Donoghue TD contributed. Our demands were

● Emergency permission to remove all infected ash trees this year without bureaucracy and without prejudice to avail of any future support schemes. 

● Compensation for loss of income at the rate of €300/acre for every year since premiums ended until the ash is removed. 

● Full cost of removal to be paid 

● Once the Ash is removed the choice of 

o Planting with the same grants and premiums as newly planted land 

Or 

o Be allowed to use the land for farming with no penalties, as a living forest has not been removed. 

These demands were endorsed by the attendees and the IFA. 

Almost 300 people attended and the conference received widespread media coverage including the RTE Nine O’clock news. 

Following the conference the chairman met with Minister Hackett and the Director of forestry to clarify who was responsible for tree diseases, the growers or the government. Despite numerous follow up letters requesting an answer, none have been received as of 25 January 2024 

LTWO negotiated an agreed stance by all the forestry representative bodies on the need for a concerted action plan by the Government to deal with the problems growers were facing 

LTWO presented to the Joint Oireachatas Committee on agriculture (JOC) in an update on the lack of progress on Ash Dieback. The JOC members, once more, gave unanimous support to LTWO’s efforts on behalf of those affected by ash dieback. 

June 2023 

Minister Hackett announced the appointment of an independent expert review which would report back to her within three months. 

July 2023 

Members of the LTWO Ash Dieback Committee, Mary McCormack and John O;Connell and Paddy Stokes were invited to contribute as individuals to the Independent Review on Ash Dieback. Simon White Chairman and other committee members met the Review group on behalf of LTWO. The review group visited Paddy Stokes and other members’ ash plantations to see directly the damage sustained. The frank and open expression of the problems faced by growers were well received. 

The IFA held a conference in Tullamore to promote the new forestry Programme. The LTWO Chairman, gave a presentation on Ash Dieback. This topic dominated the Conference. The Minister was asked, by the LTWO Chairman, for permission for those affected by ash dieback to be allowed to remove their dead and dying trees without having to apply for a license. The Minister refused to agree to this , which angered the attendees. 

Committee members met with three MEPs separately, Colm Markey in Dublin, Sean Kelly in Clonmel. and Billy Kelleher in Portlaoise, Joe Keane met Jackie Cahill TD. 

The Vice Chairman, and Ned Liston travelled to an event in Dunmanway West Cork organised by the FOC where they raised the issue of ash dieback.

August 

The IFA declare the new forestry Program as ‘a lost opportunity’ including the poor treatment of ash dieback growers. 

September 

Members of the Board of LTWO attended the Ploughing Championships and lobbied Minister McConalogue, Dr Frank O’Meara, Jackie Cahill and IFA senior representatives. on forestry issues. 

October 

‘The Ash dieback review report’ was published, and the recommendations supported almost everything we had been saying. The Minister announced that she would set up a task force to oversee the implementation of the review recommendations. 

In late October, three committee members were invited to update the Joint Oireachates Committee on progress since the publication of the review. The committee was surprised that not LTWO had not been contacted by the Minister since the review. Again, the JOC members were fully supportive and aghast at the failure of the Minister to recognise that Ash dieback was a national emergency. They also met with Carol Nolan TD who is very supportive. 

The Dept commissioned Teagasc to run meetings to promote the New Forestry Programme. LTWO members travelled to as many meetings as possible all over the Country to raise our experience of the many difficult issues facing forestry. 

November

The Ask Dieback Committee started a lobbying campaign of politicians. In particular, Charlie McCarthy met Minister Hackett in Bantry on 16th of November, where she said that the implementation plan would be brought to cabinet “in two weeks”. This commitment was also reported in Agriland. On the same day committee members met Minister McConalogue in Adare and put him under severe pressure for lack of response to ash dieback. He promised the implementation plan was coming in a matter of weeks. Almost three months have on the plan has not been published. 

Ned Liston met Minister O’Donovan. James McInerney and Ned Liston travelled to Navan to meet the NorthEast Forestry group and local politicians. 

December

Mary McCormack and James McInerney met a representative of the Taoiseach in his office. 

The Chairman raised the issue of the bark beetle at the IFA forestry committee . In particular risks posed by importation of sawlog from Scotland, and the need to call for an outright ban if we are to protect our commercial spruce. 

January 2024 

The chairman had a letter published in the Journal querying the lack of official action on ash dieback. This caused the Journal reporters to write extensive articles on this the following week drawing attention to the similarities between the response to ash dieback and the consequences of that and to the present refusal to ban the importation of sitka sawlog which bring in one of the bark beetles. This publicity prompted the JOC to invite IFA to present before the committee on the Bark Beetle risk and to invite the Department officials to answer further questions.

Throughout the year 

The Chairman and other members of the Committee have done many interviews which has raised public awareness of the issues affecting forestry on TnaG News, RTE, Clare FM, Galway bay FM and local radio stations in Tipperary and Limerick. 

The Chairman was also on RTE news, highlighting the Whitethorn importation debacle. 

The Chairman has had numerous letters published on Forestry issues in the Irish Farmers Journal during the year. 

David Coleman met with Claire Kerrane TD and Martin Browne TD. Claire Kerrane has since raised the issue of ash dieback with the Minister in the Dail. 

James McInerney has through Cathal Crowe TD requested a meeting with the Minister. David Coleman launched a Facebook ‘Trees page’ which is very useful resource. 

LTWO continues to raise public awareness about ash dieback to create better public awareness of what is going on and highlight the failures seen with ash dieback are being repeated in the Department’s handling of the bark beetle. 

The Group has met with a wide range of representatives 

We would like to thank the following for their support for the conference. 

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