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Minister of State for Agriculture and the Marine, Tom Hayes with Michele O'Neill, Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Developement and Mairead Mc Guinness MEP at the Opening of the Chalara Conference in Dundalk

Minister of State Tom Hayes and Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Michelle O’Neill MLA have highlighted the importance of continued co-operation in tackling plant disease throughout Ireland.

The two Ministers were speaking at the All-Ireland Chalara ash dieback Conference in Dundalk, where they informed delegates that findings of the disease throughout the island of Ireland have been limited mainly to recently imported material.

Chalara ash dieback is a serious disease of ash trees and has been found in the North and South in recently established ash woodlands and other sites which have been planted with imported ash trees. The disease has also been found in Counties Leitrim and Tipperary in hedgerows associated with imported ash sites.

Speaking at the conference Minister Hayes said:

Since Chalara was first identified North and South in late 2012 we have sought to coordinate our efforts and share our experience in order to bring about the best possible outcome. This approach culminated in the launch of the All Ireland Chalara Control Strategy in July 2013. We continue to implement this strategy and see it as an important contributor in addressing the threat posed by Chalara on the island of Ireland.

The conference was attended by over 100 delegates from both North and South and provided an update on the current scientific understanding of the pathogen/host interaction, experience of the disease in Ireland, Britain and Norway, the potential impact of the disease on nature conservation in Ireland, research into modelling spread of ash dieback and potential disease management strategies.