Fireblight in Ireland
Minister McConalogue, Stop Playing with Fire
Learn about the Fireblight disease and sign our open letter to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
What is Fireblight?
Fireblight is a bacterial disease whose common hosts include Hawthorn, Cotoneaster, apple, pear, and rowan. It cannot be treated and affected trees must be destroyed. Symptoms include the withering of shoots and leaves (‘Shepherd’s Stick’), cankers, and bacterial ooze. Report symptoms to plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie. Fireblight is known to enter through latent infections on imported plants and is suited to our temperate climate, being widespread in Northern Ireland and confirmed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 17 outbreaks across 11 counties in 2023. It previously caused the removal of over 800km of hedgerows in Germany.
Check out these information sheets:
- DAFM’s Fireblight Plant Pest Sheet
- EPPO Global Database: Fireblight Datasheet
- DEFRA Fireblight Leaflet
Watch our webinar with Maria Cullen on hedgerow pests and diseases here.
Sign our Open Letter
Please note: Your name and message of support will be publicly visible in the list of signatories below.
Take Action
1. Share our open letter.
www.hedgerows.ie/fireblight/2. Contact groups planting trees in your area.
For example, your local Tidy Towns, biodiversity group, or the County Council’s Parks Department.
Copy-Paste Template
I am contacting you to ask for your help to prevent the spread of Fireblight in Ireland. This bacterial disease is found on Hawthorn, Cotoneaster, apple, pear, rowan, and other plants. It is carried to Ireland on imported trees. I invite you to take two actions. Firstly, can you ensure that any trees you plant in the area are Irish Provenance Certified? Secondly, can you notify plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie if you spot the following symptoms: wilted shoots and leaves, bacterial ooze, or cankers. Thank you for your help.
3. Contact businesses selling trees in your area.
For example, your local garden centre or plant nursery.
Copy-Paste Template
I am contacting you to ask for your help to prevent the spread of Fireblight in Ireland. This bacterial disease is found on Hawthorn, Cotoneaster, apple, pear, rowan, and other plants. It is carried to Ireland on imported trees. I invite you to take two actions. Firstly, can you ensure that you stock and clearly mark Irish Provenance Certified trees? Secondly, can you notify plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie if you spot the following symptoms: wilted shoots and leaves, bacterial ooze, or cankers. Thank you for your help.
Read our Open Letter: Click to open.
01/03/2024
Open Letter to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the Risk of Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) from Hawthorn Imports for ACRES.
Dear Minister McConalogue,
We are writing to you regarding the risk of Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) from Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) imports for ACRES. Ireland is still managing the fallout from Ash Dieback, which was most likely introduced through imports from EU Member States. We must not make the same mistake with the present danger posed by Fireblight. This is categorised as a Protected Zone quarantine plant pest to ensure “Irish biosecurity and preserve our favourable plant health status”1. Its threat is assessed under Ireland’s Plant Health Generic Contingency Plan, which states that “at any stage during the management of a finding or outbreak, the degree of risk can be re-classified in the light of new information, sample results, technical advice or developments”2. We are concerned that the threat to Ireland’s hedgerow heritage has not been adequately considered in assigning Fireblight’s alert status.
Fireblight is known to enter through latent infections on imported plants and is suited to our temperate climate, being widespread in Northern Ireland and confirmed by DAFM in 17 outbreaks across 11 counties in 20233,4. Nevertheless, ACRES Circular 27 removed the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirement for Hawthorn (which may compose up to 85% of ACRES hedgerow planting)5,6. The high demand for imports therefore increases the disease risk for Fireblight’s common hosts—Hawthorn, Cotoneaster, apple, pear, and rowan—spread through multiple pathways such as pollination, wind, rain, and mechanical equipment3. Importing trees also reduces Ireland’s ability to safeguard the genetic diversity of native tree species, which it committed to under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Any failure to arrest the spread will result in significant impacts on Ireland’s natural and cultural heritage due to the loss of Hawthorn hedgerows—a refuge for wildlife and a distinctive feature of our landscape. For example, this species composed 88% of hedgerows in the County Kildare Hedgerow Survey 20227. The rapid spread of Fireblight will be devastating to our hedgerow network, as both the infected plant and all nearby host plants must be burnt or buried2,4. Evidence can be seen in Germany, where outbreaks between 1972 to 2000 resulted in the removal of 812km of Hawthorn hedgerows8. In recent decades, Irish farmers have planted approximately 1400km, 600km, and 1300km in REPS, AEOS, and GLAS, respectively9,10. An additional 2000km are estimated to be planted in ACRES11. With a payment of €5/metre/year (5 year schemes), this would equal roughly €132.5m paid to plant farm hedgerows—mostly Hawthorn—which may be wasted if these are lost to Fireblight.
Similar to roadside trees with Ash Dieback, there will be costs associated with the removal and disposal of affected Hawthorn hedgerows, plus their replacement with new trees and fences to maintain a stock-proof barrier on farms. The Fireblight Disease Order 1964 obligates landowners to notify DAFM of suspected infections and destroy specified trees12. However, they may not volunteer information without accompanying government funding to cover costs. If Fireblight spreads, the need for more DAFM inspections will also increase staffing costs. In addition to hedgerow impacts, Ireland’s €131m apple industry would suffer long-term financial losses, as Fireblight is “not only destructive to the current year’s crop but also extremely dangerous to the plants themselves”13,14.
The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) states that the most effective mitigation strategy is to impose “strict phytosanitary measures on imported host plant material and to maintain vigilance in orchards and nurseries”, as well as place plant import bans in high-risk countries13. In light of this guidance and the Precautionary Principle of Sustainable Development, we ask DAFM, as the Competent Authority for plant health in Ireland, to:
- Reinstate the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirements for Hawthorn in ACRES hedgerow planting and delay planting actions until the demand-supply gap is filled.
- Suspend imports of Hawthorn plants due to the potential risk of importing disease.
- Clarify how natural and cultural hedgerow heritage was assessed when deciding the Generic Contingency Plan’s alert status for Fireblight. If this was not assessed, raise the alert status and establish a Co-Ordination Group including ecologists to address all risks to Ireland’s hedgerows.
- Continue to promote funding for native tree nurseries under the Seed Stand & Seed Orchard Schemes plus the Investment Aid for the Development of the Forest Tree Nursery Sector Scheme.
Hedgerows Ireland CLG promotes the conservation and nature-friendly management of hedgerows. It is funded by the Irish Environmental Network and the Heritage Council.
An Taisce, as Ireland’s National Trust, advocates for sustainable planning and policy, delivers educational programmes, and preserves heritage properties and nature reserves for the Irish public.
The Environmental Pillar works to represent the views of 32 of Ireland’s leading environmental NGOs and is supported by the Department of Environment, Climate & Communications.
Endorsed by: sign and see the full list of signatures below.
References: Click to open.
- DAFM (2023) Pest Risk Analysis Unit – Plant Pest Factsheets www.gov.ie/en/publication/7b101-pest-risk-analysis-unit-plant-pest-risk-register-factsheets/
- DAFM (2023) Ireland’s Plant Health Generic Contingency Plan, Ver. 1, Dec. 2023
- DAFM (2023) DAFM Plant Pest Factsheet: Erwinia amylovora Fireblight
- McConalogue, C. (2024) Dáil Éireann Debate. Question 396, Wednesday 7th February 2024. www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-02-07/396/
- DAFM (2022) Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) Specification for Tranche 1
- DAFM (2023) ACRES Circular No. 27 of 2023, Amendment to Planting a New Hedgerow specification for Tranche 1, Tranche 2 and NPIs
- Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants (2022). County Kildare Hedgerow Survey 2022, Kildare County Council.
- Peil, A. et al. (2009) Improvement of Fire Blight Resistance in Apple and Pear. International J. of Plant Breeding.
- Hedgerows Ireland (2016) Minutes from Meeting with DAFM over Hedgerow Measures in GLAS. www.hedgerows.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2016-Meeting-with-DAFM-over-Hedgerow-Measures-in-GLAS.pdf
- Donnelly, M. (2015) GLAS in numbers: 90,000 bird boxes and 1,300km of hedgerows, Agriland. www.agriland.ie/farming-news/glas-in-numbers-90000-bird-boxes-and-1300km-of-hedgerows/
- Roache, M. (2023) Hedgerows and ACRES requirements, Teagasc. www.teagasc.ie/publications/2023/hedgerows-and-acres-requirements.php
- Irish Statute Book (1964) S.I. No. 19/1964 – Fire Blight Disease Order, 1964.
- EPPO (2024) EPPO Datasheet: Erwinia amylovora. www.gd.eppo.int (accessed 2024-02-12).
- Teagasc (2020) Commercial Apple Production, Fact Sheet, Horticulture 03, V1.
List of Signatures
Current Number of Signatures: 1383
| Name | Organisation | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Linda MacCarthy | Our natural heritage is precious. These symptoms, and the consequences of irreversible damage, are dreadful. | |
| Ruth Minogue | Minogue and Associates | |
| Robert Duff | Please immediately stop any importation of hawthorn You have failed it in Ash. And the effects can be seen daily on our hedgerows So get your house in order and ban the importation of any plant that could have fireblight | |
| Cathal Heneghan | Please stop the spread fire blight. And stop the import of hedgerow which will only spread the disease. | |
| Anne Coakley | To protect our native trees from the spread of disease | |
| Gay Brabazon | VOICE (Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment) Founder member | Please Minister McConalogue, do not let the country down on this urgent task. We are relying on you. |
| Catherine Jung | ||
| John P Delaney | Citizen | Please Minister, and Officials, read this letter and act on it immediately. I would love to leave Ireland as a wonderful place for my grandchildren. |
| Tommy Brennan | It is essential to protect our native species, the loss of our hedgerows would be devastating. Banning the importation of non native hawthorn would be an important first step | |
| Dan Aherne | Killorglin Tidy Towns Group | Good evening Minister, We need to protect our native species of trees e.g. Hawthorn and other plants. There are more than enough invasive species and other threats to biodiversity about! Urgent remedial action is required |
| will warham | farmer | |
| Mark Green | Avoid a repeat of the ash dieback disaster by banning non-native hawthorn and increase long-term support for tree nurseries. | |
| Jane Jackson | 80 Max | Dear minister, it is pointless to try and tackle environmental issues with regard to biodiversity if we do not first protect what we have. So far in recent years we have imported ash die back, oak processionary moth, now fire blight all diseases that decimating our most iconic native trees. Importing "native" trees and seeds is playing with fire. |
| Yvonne Leonard | Imagination lives in the hedges. It is vital for mental health and regulation of the psyche. People are suffering solastalgia, and feeling helpless due to the lack of protection for nature's right to thrive. | |
| Sarah Malone | Private individual | Ash die-back waltzed through Ireland. Fireblight won't be as kind, it favours several species among our native and naturalised trees. Our country can't take another hit in this vein. Prevention is better than the cure. |
| Peter o rourke | None | This is a very real issue and would make our small bird population massively vulnerable due to unavailability of a very protective nesting medium. |
| Catriona Fallon | Green Arts Initiative in Ireland | Fireblight poses a serious threat to what remain of our native hedgerows. To lose these iconic trees as well as the Ash through Ask Dieback would seem unthinkable. |
| roisin barron | ||
| Leo Smith | Portumna tidy towns and Portumna community school biodiversity group | Such an beautiful iconic native species- spread the word of actions that need to be taken to prevent the spread of this devastating disease. |
| Peter Wright | Don't import risky trees | |
| Fionnuala Fallon | Given the ongoing devastation of our native ash tree population and what its loss represents in terms of biodiversity and the Irish landscape, I think everything should be done to protect the country's populations of native hawthorn and rowan as well as other threatened species. | |
| Ciarán O'Carroll | Atlantic Sea Kayaking | |
| Alan O Donovan | The protection of natural woodlands are a must. | |
| Finnán McAllen | ||
| Hannah Wallace | ||
| Johnny Coyne | Lough Corrib adventures | |
| Nic Cargin | Lost Studios | A frankly ridiculous idea. |
| Kate McAney | Why are we importing hawthorn and putting our wildlife and living landscape at risk? | |
| Sinead Conran | Stop importing non native trees | |
| Andayi Mbirika | NA | |
| Alan Stewart | Protecting Ireland from Invasive Species should be a concern for everyone. Ireland for Native Irish plants! | |
| Maree Mc Guinness | ||
| Colm Kenny | Ceadogan rugmakers | |
| Hilary Kelly | ||
| Nike Ruf | Baldoyle Wild Town | Loss of Wildlife and Biodiversity are one of the greatest threats to our future and thus the government need to act quickly. |
| Maggie Geary | Irish Citizen | It is time to take Irish bio security seriously. You know there is a biodiversity crisis. Now act like you know there is a biodiversity crisis. Stop importing invasive species and disease. |
| Philip Elliott | Don’t be pence wise we need our country protected from short sightedness | |
| Annie Hogg | ||
| David Currie | Hawthorn is also a very important source of food for honey bees, indeed all bees. | |
| Jason Linton | Please take greater steps to protect our hedgerows and the wildlife they support. | |
| David Brennan | Fireblight in Ireland Minister McConalogue, Stop Playing with Fire | |
| Míde Ní Shúilleabháin | ||
| Éidín Griffin | I am incredibly concerned about this ecological disaster. Our hedgerows already suffer from flail mowing and poor management. This could kill them off completely and is devastating for our fragile and beleaguered ecological systems. | |
| Katy Mullins | Facing an already bleak prospect of biodiversity in Ireland’s future it is beyond salt in the wound to import more threats to our hedge groves. Importing disease as opposed to investing in native forestry is irrational to anyone that isn’t involved in this for financial gain. | |
| Garrett Murphy | GRETB National Apprenticeship in Arboriculture | Hawthorn is grown in abundance in this country. With proper planning, there is no need to risk our native hedgerows by importing plants. |
| Donna McLaughlin | I am concerned about our native hedgerows and would like to become more aware of how yo help | |
| Naomi Dowds | ||
| Karyn O’Brien | Let’s nip this in the bud and stop importing disease. | |
| Jenny Nagle | We should be using Irish seed and Irish grown plants, not imported materials. | |
| Fiona Walsh | I love our native hedgerows | |
| Deirdre Roles | Please protect our native habitat before it's too late!! | |
| Aaron Geary | cycle repair centre | |
| DAIRE TENNYSON | ||
| Rita Berz | Forest United forest School | Hedgerows are under massive tread in Ireland . Loss of habitat and climate change is happening now. We have to act fast. Thanks for your work. |
| Katie Murphy | N/A | I can't believe that there was no learning from importing Ash dieback at a time when we need to be increasingly biodiversity and minding our native plants |
| Ciara O'Flynn | Gortnacrusha Biodiversity Farm | As stated in the letter, the prospect of losing large surcharge of our hedgerows which are already under threat from over zealous pruning by flail mowers, would result in an approaching catastrophic loss of habitat which are in many instances the last element of habitat on modern farms. |
| James Murphy | Farmer | It seems incredibly that plants epically hawthorn should be imported into Ireland for the acres scheme with the high risk of importing this disease. Importing hawthorn puts much more of my and the nations hedgerows at rish. |
| Caroline Bowles | ||
| Mary Cronin | Cairde na Coillte Forest school | It is government s job to act on behalf of the good of the country. Please DO YOUR JOB, protect our trees, protect our native habitats, protect our country. |
| Brian Walsh | Douglas Allotments | I don’t want anymore tree diseases imported like ash die back! |
| Gemma Best | It is so important to have hedgerows back in our fields, not only to give cattle the shelter they need but to give homes and food back to the wildlife. | |
| Denise Richards | ||
| Fiachra Ó Súilleabháin | ||
| Andrea Lange | Irish resident | We need to do everything we can to protect native species from imported diseases and are in a great position to do this as an island. |
| Caitriona Carlin | University of Galway | |
| Pauline Cudmore | Fireblight has a devastating impact on all the small animals and especially birds as their habitat gets wiped out and cannot be adequately replaced for years. | |
| M Lehane | To support hedgegrows | |
| Megan Gimber | PTES | This is one of the Key reasons we should increase domestic nursery capacity rather than import more whips to cope with increased hedgerow tree demand. |
| Nessa Taylor | ||
| Evelyn Allen | ||
| Niamh O’Flynn | Hedgerows Ireland | Can we stop the importing of hawthorn & other tree species as we are bringing in diseases that are effecting our native species & this has a knock on effect in your local & national biodiversity & fruit production. Can we encourage our nurseries to grow native trees for agricultural & private sector. |
| Mary Collins Walsh | Irish Citizen | I have been horrified that an idea to import hawthorns into Ireland was even considered, let alone sanctioned and activated by the Dept. of Agriculture and our Minister of Agriculture and Marine. What is wrong with everyone? Ash dieback, the unique cry of the curlews, gone, along with so much biodiversity loss. Importing non native hawthorns is more unnecessary risk. |
| Mary C Scannell | Scannell Spiers Sustainability Ltd | Why would you risk our entire native hawthorn hedgerows by importing specimens from the UK and completely disregard our Island status of not having this disease? This is absolutely crazy. I understand that the drive to encourage and support farmers to plant native hedgerow was a great one but please please limit this to the avilability of Irish seedlings ;dontmakewhatwasagooddecisionintoacompletedisaster |
| Elaine Byrne | Please stop the importation of trees in to Ireland that pit our own native species at risk. | |
| Úna Ní Chiosáin | ||
| Diana Rogerson | Trellick community garden | Please protect irelands hedges and trees for reasons above |
| Fiona Woods | It is beyond vital that resources are out into this fight to save our hedgerows and trees. The consequences for wildlife are potentially devastating. Please act. | |
| Tomas Doyle | Let's see some preventative action and foresight on this. Deal with this issue early, forcibly and effectively before it gets out of control like the ash dieback | |
| Niamh Graham | Environmental Science, University of Galway | |
| Christopher Williams | Liverpool John Moores University | |
| Mike Gormally | ||
| Kayleigh Brierley | ||
| Siobhán Fleming | ||
| Gerry Bohan | Leitrim Hawthorn Project | We would like this serious issue looked into and the necessary actions carried out to minimise the effects of this blight. Thank you |
| Anita Fleming | ||
| Bob Wilson | CELT (Centre for Environmental Living & Training) | Ireland is supposedly committed to UN Sustainable Development Goals. Biosecurity is essential to protect our environment. Importation of trees and shrubs is an unnecessary risk. Hedgerows are an ancient and iconic part of the Irish landscape playing a vital role for shelter and wildlife habitat and they must be protected. |
| Ciara O'Connor | Farmer | |
| Martina O'Dea | Dear Minister, IWhy did your dept think it was a good idea to import hawthorn into Ireland aftet importation of ash which resulted in ash dieback Without trees we will not exist. I am appalled at the iresponsible actions of your dept and tthe devasting consequences for many trees wildlife and economic consequenses for many prople. | |
| Aoife Boyle | ||
| Ravit Yanay | ||
| Helen Nolan | We need our native hedgerows for the protection and preservation of nature and to support biodiversity. Native hedgerows act like highways for nature connecting up in areas providing cover and habitats for plant,insect & wildlife. | |
| Shane Fisher | ||
| Lisa Kelly | ||
| Alannah Robins | Interface | The loss of our hedgerows would be the nail in the coffin for our biodiversity. Please stop importing risky goods. |
| Eoin Cripps | ||
| Ultan Dillon | Please do our best to prevent the spread of this | |
| Annie Eustace | Nature appreciator | Get up of your backside minister and stop Importing stuff that can be grown in Ireland. |
| Alan Cuddihy | Cuddihy sawmills | Please keep me up to date on this ..theirvis to much importing of trees and shrubs with out proper inspection... |
| Laney Mannion | Artist/ Farmer | Living in an area of special conservation in Connemara, I'm acutely aware of imported issue The threat of fireblight and what it means for the hedgerows of Ireland and our very sacred trees is absolutely horrifying. it is of pertinence action be taken now, to handle this threat swiftly and not go looking for a Panacea after the fact. |
| Deborah Mansfield | Our hedgerows are so important l, environmentally, culturally, and agriculturally | |
| Declan Magee | Irish human | Why so slow in defending our heritage. My grandchildren need action now |
| Aoife Kelly | I’m concerned about the world I’ll be leaving to my children. We have to take care of the little things if we are to have any how of tackling bigger climate issues. If signing an open letter helps in some small way then I will gladly do it. | |
| Regina O’Dea | We need to protect all our trees.As it is many of our trees are stressed.We have widespread ash die back which has decimated our ash trees.Many other trees look to be struggling especially the hazel ,lots of it has rotted.We cannot afford to lose more trees | |
| Cathrine Bourne | ||
| Claire Rooney | Save our Hawthorns!! | |
| Mary Taylor | ||
| Sheila Kiernan | Hedgerows are needed for all our biodiversity so we must protect them | |
| Chris Bowring | This importation is foolish in the extreme. Time for some responsible governance. No need to import trees. In fact detrimental to local diversity. Such trees as used in schemes need to be sourced locally and at very least within each county. Think on | |
| Conor O’Sullivan | Personal Details | Because this can be controlled and needs to start at the top |
| Raimo Kangasniemi | 200277-0533 | |
| Ruth Cotter | ||
| Eric Plummer | ||
| joanna hopkins | artist | Save our Hawthorns |
| Annette Treacy | Our ‘Sceach’isn’t merely a hawthorn bush, it is deeply embedded in our folklore. We must protect what is native to Ireland and safeguard it for future generations so that they will be connected to our magical and unique landscape. | |
| Diarmuid Ryan | Protect our hedgerows and orchards. Hedgerows are our primary source of biodiversity | |
| Anne Brennan | I fail to understand the cavalier attitude of the Department of Agriculture towards last minute decision to allow imported plant material, especially given the current devastation being caused by Ash die back disease. | |
| Jennifer Nolan | We want to support the prevention of the spread of fireblight in Hawthorn!! We can do this by not importing hawthorn from abroad!! | |
| Paul Campbell | Irish hedgerows are essential as a food source for native insects and animals and to maintain established boundaries | |
| Hilda ogrady | Kinvara tidy towns | Want to support all actions to stop this disease spreading... |
| Marie Richardson | Concerned Citizen | "When will we ever learn..." the Doomsday Clock ticks on, Biodiversity loss increases our Marine Peotected Areas are violated yet our Government and policy makers, knowing and deliberately avoid taking radical preventative action! Why? How?Fireblight is just the latest in an ever increasing list of threats to our environment. What does it take to finally say "ENOUGH" & mean it? |
| Margo Carr | ||
| M Eversen | With the ash dieback and the vast monoculture plantations of spruce we can't afford the loss of our hedgerows!!! Take the biodiversity crisis serious!!! | |
| Maura Ryan | no company | Because I am very concerned about our native trees and hedgerows being infected and ruined forever. This will not only affect the trees and hedgerows but all the living creatures that depend on them for survival. We must prevent this at once. |
| Ann Corbett | Please prevent the spread of fireblight in Hawthorn by not importing hawthorn from abroad. Or we will face the same consequences as the death of the Ash tree. Be proactive and not reactive when the damage is done. | |
| Bernie O'Connor | Agrictural advisor | Please try to prevent fireblight in Hawthorn becoming a similar disaster to the Ash tree demise by banning all imports of hawthorne treea |
| Erika Marks | Reinstating the labelling requirement should happen immediately, it's beyond belief that such a simple act has not already happened. | |
| Barbara Buckley | We need to be proactive in protecting our flora from any imports of plants whether used as decoration or hedging. Demand to see the plants' passports when buying from a gardening centre etc. | |
| Fiona Sheahan | Our hedgerows are already facing destruction and now fireblight from the needless and thoughtless importation of trees . Does this Government and country learn nothing from Ash dieback , or care enough to have prevented this from now occurring ? Hedgerows must be protected | |
| Brenda Kenny | We do not need to import native species, we need to think ahead and support growers of native trees and plants here. And change the minset of our local authorities nd xitizens generally who are planting non-natives. | |
| Joan McDonald | Dear Minister I an joining the signatories to this open letter as where I live in Co. Clare we are reeling from the loss of all the Ash trees in our hedgerows ( as well as flooding , and the complete absence of swallows this year). We are in a crisis. Please don't make things worse | |
| Lucy Henehan | ||
| Laura Bortolaso | Trees and environment are already at risk for different reason. Start REALLY taking care of our native species and Irish land! | |
| Maureen Toomey | We need our hedgerows for biodiversity and to cut down on flooding... | |
| Dana Tagar | As a natural lover I see high importance to invest and strengthening native nature. | |
| Sorcha Conway | Kerry Group | Please stop importing non native species. Protect the natural beauty and ecosystem or irleand |
| Caitriona Mc Carthy | Caitriona Mc Sweeney | Please do everything possible to prevent fireblight from affecting our native vegetation! |
| Fuchsia MacAree | ||
| Margaret Edgill | Mount Briscoe Organic Farm | Because a) for biodiversity as we have a considerable quantity of hedgerows on our farm B) for the food I make from harvesting fruit C) for our heritage orchard and new orchard which is predominantly apple. It only compound ms the impact of ash due back of which I have a forestry creating no biodiversity or income. It’s a scandal |
| Samantha Houston | Importing diseased Hawthorn could decimate our native plants and all of the insects and birds that rely on it for habitat, food and larval value. | |
| Teresa Mc Veigh | Stop importing foreign trees, shrubs and plants into the island of Ireland. | |
| Ann Hetherington | Please learn to be a lot more vigilant and careful when in charge of our native trees and hedges. After all , this is why we vote you into power. | |
| Anna Benn | Please do not kill off our native hawthorn trees by importing diseases… Ireland’s biodiversity is shaky enough as it is. | |
| Tim Long | Green Sod Ireland | |
| Fiona Leckey | ||
| Bernadette Hopkins | Keep our seeds native and hardy | |
| Hugh Bonar | I would urge you to consider a ban on the importation of hawthorn seedlings as it seems to me to be both unnecessary and problematic from a phytological safety point of view. | |
| Anne McLean | Minister, how dare you put our wonderful hawthorn and hedgerows at risk of fireblight by waiving the regulation regarding the import of hawthorn. One million imported last year for acres? You will go down in history as the man that destroyed this wonderful heritage. That the faeries might get ya. | |
| Patsy Preston | Visual Artist | Please protect our ecosystem by stopping the imports of plants that may carry disease. Our Hawthorn hedges and trees along with Apple and Rowan are such crucial part of our landscape, beautiful heritage trees, they must be protected. Only native trees should be used in any planting initiatives. |
| Susan Flynn | ||
| Kim Lewis | ||
| Edel Barry | Hawthorn is one of the most important shrubs in Ireland and it will be an ecological disaster if this spreads. Please learn. From Elm and ash and take action immediately | |
| Aoife Hanley | ||
| Jutta Brassil | We need to protect our native woodland and hedgerows | |
| Colm Garvey | Please stop importing trees which risk the spread of firelight. Thanks | |
| Simon Haden | Please protect our native species. Don't let what happened with ash trees happen again. | |
| Richie Dodd | ||
| Jenny O'Hare | Wild Minds | Our precious native species are in such sparsity already, any threat will devastate the populations. Our beloved Hawthorn in particular - emblematic in our folklore and plant medicines, we cannot afford to risk this. |
| Derek Lowry | We need to protect our native species. | |
| Miceal Breen | ||
| John Stack | John Stack | |
| James McArdle | Save irish native hedgerows | |
| Lieke Munsters | ||
| Aoife Mollin | ||
| Aislinn Mollin | Please suspend imported non-native hawthorn species. It is causing the spread of a destructive disease called fire blight and is a huge risk to biodiversity and native hawthorntrees. | |
| Maeve Stone | In any given county hedgerows are often the last remaining wild capillaries that support our native ecosystems. It we lose them we lose everything! | |
| Caroline Stanley | Friends of Merlin woods | It is important we protect our native species .fire light effects much more species of trees.if it takes hold .it will have an enormous negative effect on our wild habitats and help to cause an increase in wildlife loss which we can ill afford to lose . |
| CIARAN CLISSMANN | Please help to protect the unique biodiversity and pure joy of native hedgerows. | |
| Susan Brady | I want to support healthy hedgerows and encourage conservation. | |
| Fania Ellison | ||
| Naomi Clarkin | As an island, Ireland can easily avoid the introduction of threats to our ecosystem, unless we, foolishly, "open the door" to them. Please don't be swayed by short-term gains in availability/ lower price at the risk of ecological disaster for our hedgerows, trees, insects, birds, etc, (including ourselves) who are reliant on them - everything is interconnected. Please be wise. | |
| Claire Mulcahy | Because our countryside is slowly being hacked down by the councils, dead ash trees everywhere in the midlands… and now this. Yet we continue to build our 5 bed mansions in every field. We are leaving a horrible legacy for our children… | |
| Niall Moynihan | ||
| Grace Cooney | Save our hedgerows from the same destruction as Ashdie back. Stop importing | |
| Heather Box | Please ensure Ireland is taking full advantage of its unique advantage as an island to prevent the completely unnecessary introduction of threats to our ecological supports. A small difference in price/availability does not justify exposing native hedgerows to disease & death. | |
| Gillian Cussen | Please stop the importation of foreign hawthorn trees for Acres and other uses. | |
| Sheila Donlon | The risk of firelight to our native hedges and associated birds requires immediate action. Our hedges cannot be allowed to go the way of our ash trees | |
| Catherine Jordan | Private individual | I support Hedgerows Ireland's campaign re Fireblight and ask the minister to introduce legislation immediately to stop rampant destruction of native Irish hedgerows. |
| Brendan Kenny | ||
| Miriam Mooney | Please stop importing trees which risk the spread of firelight. Thanks | |
| Fran ODONOVAN | ||
| Mary Cronin | Forest School teacher | Please stop imports of trees immediately and start a plan to remove and destroy infected trees. |
| Imelda O Connell | Please STOP importing plants. Grow them in Ireland. | |
| Steve Scilley | The Rusheyhill Hill Project | Since 2009 I have planted almost 1km of double hedge and seen a massive increase in wildlife as a result. We need to stop fireblight dead. I’m too old and tired to start all over again. |
| Barbara Kerkhoff | Living through a biodiversity crisis we need to do everything that is possible to reduce specimen loss! There should be no problem to propagate Irish native hawthorn! It just takes political will and decisions! We can do better than importing diseases! | |
| Emma Dowling | ||
| Helen Nunan | Our Ash trees are decimated, please do not let this happen to our whitethorn too. | |
| FERGAL CUNNINGHAM | ||
| Peter Byrne | ||
| Maitiú O'Flanghaile | Have you learnt nothing from the past? The decimation of our beloved and important Ash trees being the latest disaster. Importing Hawthorn into Ireland is insanity! A little planning, imagination and funding greyhound would easily allow us to be an exporter of healthy hawthorn & other trees. Wake up! | |
| Gerald Furnell | Have learnt nothing from the Ash dieback debacle? | |
| Elaine Doyle | Woodland League | |
| Paula Pender | ||
| John Keenlyside | ||
| tom bashford | global livestock ltd | |
| Sinead Molony | ||
| Friederike Burmester | Please save our native hawthorn trees and stop the import of possible infected trees | |
| M Jones | Native Irish hedgerows should comprise of native plants. The hawthorn is essential to wildlife biodiversity and is deeply embedded in Irish culture and folklore. To lose it at a time when we see the Ash trees die all around us, for the same reason, is inexcusable. If there is a chance to halt the spread, it must be immediate. | |
| Kylie O'Brien | Hedgerows are such an important habitat that needs to be protected from imported diseases, like fireblight. Recent government funding to support the regeneration and planting of new hedgerows is fantastic but the terms of the funding programs must protect from the importation of disease, or we risk devastation of the hedgerows as we have seen for Ash with Ash dieback. | |
| Margy Mayell | Hope this is successful | |
| Ramona Fortune | ||
| Gerry Power | ||
| Declan Doherty | We can see what imported disease is doing to put chestnut and ash tree populations. Please act now to ensure this disease is controlled before it is too late. | |
| Amanda Baker | Please protect our environment and natural heritage. | |
| Paul Cadden | Please protect our native hedges and fauna. | |
| Lorna Farrell | We need to prevent the spread of this terrible disease by monitoring influx of non ireland seeds even of the same native species. These are iconic, heritage rich, environmentally crucial plants. They are under threat. Thry ate part of the fabric of our country. We need to promote the growth of native plants from Irish nursery's. We must act fast. | |
| LIAM QUAIDE | Social Democrats | |
| John Fuller | I fully support this petition. The government must intervene to prevent the spread of fireblight. | |
| Iseult Honohan | I am concerned about the spread of fireblight and the impact ofimporting whitethorn on native whitethorn trees that are such an important part of the Irish hedgerows, which in turn are important to a wide variety of wildlife and the environment. | |
| Ellen Murphy | Grenagh Tidy Towns | Hawthorn is the fairy tree, a special species in rural Ireland |
| Stephen Maguire | ||
| Kate Carmody | Beal Organic Cheese | |
| sheila kilduff | to stop fireblight | |
| Kenneth Keavey | Green Earth Organics | Our trees are our future and our heritage. We must protect them for the sake of biodiversity and for the natural Beauty of our countryside. |
| andy young | Its vital we stop importing infected trees and shrubs lest we end up with another native species virtually wiped out especially when native grown stock is readily available. | |
| Paul Galvin | It is truly shocking to me that no lessons were learned from ash dieback introduction to Ireland. Irelands biodiversity needs to be taken seriously and not just looked at from an economic perspective. As an island we are well placed to protect ourselves if the necessary controls are put in place | |
| Grainne Corcoran | ||
| William Hutchinson | Dealing with Ash die back has just been a nightmare , we need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them . | |
| Kathleen Moore | Save our hedgerows. | |
| Patricia Sharkey | Gweebarra Conservation Group | To import trees after the disastrous decimation of Ash trees in Ireland due to importing diseased trees is folly and should not be allowed. |
| Simon Bursell | Hive Mind | |
| Patrick Kirwan | Irish schools sustainability network | We are the scum of Europe when it comes to nature! Let’s change this! Our future depends on it. |
| Eithne Gallagher | ||
| John O'Keeffe | Please act now to protect our hedgerows, they're a vital ecosystem in our nature denuded country | |
| Clare McCahill | I will be planting hawthorn this year because it is native and beneficial to my immediate environment. I don’t know much about fireblight however I do know that new plantings will struggle to establish without the added threat of a disease that could be controlled. Healthy hedgerows and their ecosystem must be protected. | |
| Aisling Kiely | Hawthorn is a backbone of hedgerows in Ireland; our remaining, limited channel for wildlife running throughout our agricultural landscape. We cannot afford to lose what biodiversity we have in Irish farmland. | |
| Paul Connolly | Please halt the use of imported plants and trees to protect our native hedgerows. Native plants of Irish origin should be used in all public sector tenders | |
| Dermot Doran | ||
| Tom Spencer | IrishEVs | |
| Emily Grossi | ||
| Paul O Connor | ||
| Eamon Lenihan | We need to protect our native trees and hedgerows. | |
| Sue Anthony | Artistan Beekeeping Collective | The destruction of our Hedgerows by farm, forestry, companies, individuals and disease has to stop, it is not plantations that sequester carbon, or protect diversity it is hedgerows. Stop their destruction now. |
| Anna Pringle | Please protect the iconic hawthorn and what's left of our hedgerows. | |
| Diarmaid O Doherty | Fireblight poses an immediate and serious threat to our native hedgerows. Our hedgerows provide vital habitats and indeed are often the only refuge our wildlife have in modern Ireland. This danger must be taken seriously before it becomes unmanageable. | |
| shane k | farmer | All that can be done must be. We cannot lose more native tree species . We don't have many |
| Don O’Herlihy | ||
| Eamon Geoghegan | Hawthorns are vital to support what little biodiversity we have left in this country | |
| Michael O Brien | ||
| Keith Brennan | As a farmer, having put in hawthorn hedgerow, it's essential to protect that, our existing hedgerows, and our pollinators, wildlife and biodiversity. We failed with ash. We cannot afford to fail with Hawthorn. | |
| Donna Rainey | Please stop importing plants,risking the spread of this disease & annihilating our hedgerows & trees. | |
| meadhbh Cooke | We need to protect our native species | |
| Robert Pearson | Concerned tax payer | Could you please put better border controls in place and stop importing plants with Fireblight. We don’t want even more trees, hedgerows and orchards being devastated any more. |
| Trevor Halpin | Groundwork | |
| Sarah van der Mescht | ||
| Ciaran Brennan | ||
| Sharon Greene | Wild Irish Foragers | To protect our native hedgerows & prevent the use of imported plants. It is extremely important that plants of Irish origin are used |
| Claire Blennerhassett | ||
| Sean Enright | ||
| Patricia Moran | Please help protect Ireland's hedgerows. They're already decimated enough by local councils overcutting them, even during bird nesting season | |
| Casper Dudarec | I have an orchard and communicate with many other fruit growers around the world, so I know how absolutely devestating firelight is in countries where it is present. | |
| Fiona Bradwell | We must end all imports of hawthorn and other species. Everything should be grown here from native plants. It's the only way. | |
| Tara Kelly | What remains of our biodiversity MUST be protected. | |
| Eileen Thomas | Importing native Irish trees is wrong for the health of our hedgerows ban it now before its too late. | |
| Richard Doran-Sherlock | ||
| Sandra Murphy | This Fireblight is a real danger to Ireland Please do not import more problematic species into Ireland. | |
| Caroline McDonald | Bat Conservation Ireland | Please don't import Hawthorn to Oreland. Replant using native bred plants. |
| Neil Browne | Please take action now to ban imports of hawthorn saplings and protect the hedges of ireland. Do not delay. Prevent hawthorn going the way of our ash trees please! | |
| Dara O'Boyle | I love Rowan trees, have one out my back garden, and I'm a fan of biodiversity in general. This sounds like it could be a big issue. | |
| Patsy Daly | Arigna Community Development Company | DAFM is again showing its incompetency when it comes to protecting the environment. |
| Denis McCarthy | For years we are destroying the natural habitat with machines and now we're destroying it with disease | |
| Carmel Gormley | Please reconsider this insanity of importing trees to our country that carry with them , the risk of disease and wiping out one of our iconic native trees.This has happened before with our Ash, why are you risking our trees and habitats ? Can the DOA be that reckless and irresponsible? | |
| Jamie Casey | We must protect our native trees. | |
| Elsmer Dinsmore | Wild Flora and Fauna of Ireland | Instead of importing trees the Dept of Agriculture should be funding the growing of native stock. And they should have ensured an adequate native grown supply before implementing the new scheme |
| Kate Kiely | Stop importing plants that threaten our native stock. | |
| Cathy Burke | Irish Doctors for the Environment | Irish hedgerows are a haven for wildlife and biodiversity. Keeping hedgerows disease-free is an important step in preserving small mammals, small birds and insects. We need to do everything possible to keep our already diminished animal and insect life safe. Engaging with nature has clear health benefits for Irish people. |
| Allicia Geraghty | Hedgerows Ireland | This is a very serious and important matter that needs to be dealt with ASAP! |
| Donal O'Leary | Macroom District Environmental Group | It is much more sustainable to propagate hawthorn from seeds of local provenance, both economically and environmentally |
| Manning Kate | ||
| Laura O Brien | I want to protect our native hedgerows, there is already too little habitat for our wildlife. | |
| Helen ODowd | Tracton Biodiversity Group | It would be beyond devastating to our already impoverished landscape and biodiversity if this disease was to take hold, and wipe out our native hawthorn . Imagine the apocalyptic scene of dead and dying hawthorns which make up a huge portion of our hedgerows.imagine the lost beauty of our countryside swathed in white carpets of May blossom . |
| Noel Linehan | Please be aware importing non native species should be prohibited .we have ample numbers of hawes from our hedgerows here in .ireland. The Department should know better and learned s lesson from the situation of the..ashdieback | |
| Declan O'Mahony | Artist and SOURCE TO SEA campaigner. | The thought of endangering our ancient native hawthorn is incomprehensible given the biodiversity crises we are experiencing. Importing trees reduces Ireland’s ability to safeguard the genetic diversity of native tree species, which it committed to under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Plant native genetically sound trees please and NO to this !! Sincerely Declan O'Mahony. |
| Noreen O Donovan | Why wouldn't I? | |
| Vittorio Cirefice | Self employed artist | Same amount of hedgerows in Ireland as distance from the moon !!!!! Such an important heritage and buffer from overdevelopment and urbanisation of the countryside one of our greatest sociological assets |
| Charlie Hill | In my lifetime in the UK and Ireland we have destroyed over 500,000 kilometres of Hedgerows. Hawthorne is a significant proportion of our Native Hedgerows. We can’t afford to loose anymore, please do the right thing and act now. | |
| Yrama Wylie | ||
| Elizabeth Riley | Protecting wildlife is incredibly important to our eco-sustainability. | |
| Patrick Amerlynck | ||
| Sacha Brinkley | ||
| David Wylie | ||
| Rachel Nolan | ||
| Elizabeth Bluett | We haven’t acted or acted too slowly in the past to stop plant diseases entering Ireland, learn from those mistakes and act now. | |
| Denis Kennedy | Please stop importing Hawthorn saplings with the attendant risk of Fireblight. | |
| Teresa Barry | Barrys Nurseries | Why are we allowing the sale of crataegus plant imports which we know are likely to be contaminated by fireblight. Is this to be the legacy of the present government - the destruction of our native hedgerows caused by disastrous decisions by the DAFM. While this horse has bolted can we at least close the stable door. |
| Helen Kenneally | Please cease importation of Hawthorn. It makes no sense whatsoever to import when Hawthorn is a treasured native species. Surely as a nation we can provide healthy Irish Hawthorn. | |
| Ciara Brady | Please help protect our native habitats! We are in the middle of a climate crisis, reaching tipping points so please take action on this issue to protect our beautiful hedgerow. | |
| Bridget Walsh | We have a beautiful old Hawthorn tree on the boundary of our garden, over 100 years old. Please protect this iconic Irish trees. | |
| Stella Xenopoulou | The Woodland League | |
| Patrick Flahive | It is unthinkable that this iconic tree and hedgerow plant could be in danger of widespread destruction and I expect those in the Dept of Agriculture who work on our behalf to act accordingly and with due haste. | |
| Noel Dunphy | ||
| Samantha Richardson | ||
| Paul Flynn | Please don't risk this disaster. Humanity is doing enough and too much damage already | |
| Dominic Dolan | There are plenty of native whitethorn (sceach) available.. | |
| Margaret Harrington | I wish to preserve our hedgerows going forward. | |
| Nuala Isdell | Collinstown tidy towns | It is important to preserve our nativehedgerows |
| Richard O’Donovan | Hawthorn tree owner, planter | Do what can be done, based on the evidence |
| Majella Daly | ||
| Sarah Liddane | Our country is already suffering the effects of ash dieback, it's a desperate shame to see other native species devastated by another imported disease. | |
| Daire McKiernan | I want to support this open letter to alert the Minister to the potential catastrophic impact of the importation of hawthorn from non-Irish sources. | |
| gerard sharma | Minister could you please make a fast move on ban on imports of Hawthorn as our country is at risk . Also the whole area of seeds and plants coming into Ireland should be reviewed ! | |
| Siobhan Norton | It's against the entire point! We're trying to encourage support of our native ecosystems not tick a box and put our native plants at risk! No excuse importing plants that can be cultivated easily here. Impatience is no excuse. | |
| Mike Murphy | Whitethorn is a medicinal heritage tree with rituals surrounded by it for the 1000's of years | |
| Daphne Roycroft | The loss of our native thorny trees would be absolutely devastating for Irelands biodiversity. | |
| Rosemary Clancy | After the total wipe out of Ash trees in Ireland, I can't believe the stupidity of our current Government to endanger more native plants! This hairbrained scheme is not widely known, we need more open debate. | |
| Mary Tierney | I don't want all of our hedgerows to be destroyed, or the impact that it will have on our wildlife. Stop importing hawthorn from abroad. Protect our hedgerows and wildlife. | |
| TERESA PURTILL | ||
| Gill Weyman | ||
| Colin Reilly | ||
| Jo Goodyear | We need to support Irish tree nurseries to increase production of hawthorn and other native trees and shrubs. Importing trees always leaves the possibility of infections which can devastate our native flora. I hope we have learned the lesson from Ash due-back. Grow native trees from native seeds! | |
| Tony Miller | Tony Miller | Dear Minister, I would urge you to halt the importation of hawthorn trees. It would take a while but it would be much better to encourage the home production of these trees for which there are easily gathered seed. Fireblight would be disastrous for the country especially on top of ash die-back, Yours Sincerely, Tony Miller |
| Gerard Quinn | ||
| Nigel de Haas | I lost 5 mature ash trees on the farm from dieback during 2023/24. It is essential to recind the exemption that provides a pathway for repeating the mistakes of the past. I could not bear to lose my Hawthorn and Rowan hedges on the farm. | |
| Brian lee | Hedge rows Ireland | Firblight will decimate our hedge rows. It will be another ask dieback story. We need to keep it out. The government needs to lead this. |
| Irene Treacy | I don’t want to see the countryside blighted with fire light. Save our native hedgerows. | |
| Paddy Quinn | None | We must stop importing trees to protect the trees that grow in Ireland. We must not repeat the Ash Die back disaster. |
| Chloe Quinn | ||
| Conor Larkin | Hawthorn is one of the most iconic and important hedgerow plants in this country. It must be protected and the first and easiest way to do this is to prevent easy transfer of the infection into the country by cheap imports. It is not a difficult decision. Just the correct one | |
| Dr Patricia Burke | It is imperative to take urgent action to protect hawthorn a vital part of our landscape , ecosystem and cultural heritage | |
| Charles Henderson | Kinsale Tidy Towns | Stop the import of these trees immediately |
| Valerie Seymour | Concern for existing hedgerows and future planting | |
| Sharon Bourke | ||
| Rita O'Sullivan | ||
| Tim Fitzgerald | I have planted native hedges surrounding my property to encourage biodiversity. I would like to see prompt action taken on the problem to prevent spread. | |
| Niav McGillicuddy | Have we learned anything from the ash dieback catastrophe? It is crucial that we act now to try and save our hawthorn, apple, and Rowan trees. | |
| Seos McKinnon | It is important to preserve our native hedgerows | |
| Lisa Whelton | ||
| Siobhan Harding | Ireland needs to do more to protect our wildlife. | |
| Niamh Fitzgerald | ||
| Tadhg Fitzgerald | ||
| Ann Fitzgerald | We must stop the spread of disease in our beautiful native hawthorn hedgerows and prevent a repeat of the ash die back devestation. | |
| Kathy Buckley | It is horrendous to allow imports that may harbor Fireblight and devastate our hedgerows, and this our wildlife. | |
| Enda Dineen | ||
| Tom Llewellyn | I request the minister to restrict the importation of all hedgerow species that are associated with the spread of fireblight and also to encourage and support native irish nursery production | |
| Evelyn Cremin | To stop the madness of destroying our hedgerows by the shocking wounds caused by the huge blades of cutting machines. It is an insane practice to subject trees to and is a blatant cause for spreading disease on torn wounds. The effect on birds and other species is detrimental. Who makes these appalling decisions ??? | |
| Frank Keoghan | Use only Irish Provenance/Irish Origin trees shrubs and bushes. | |
| Ali Z | ||
| Jeff O'Mahony | ||
| Brian O looney | ||
| Una Halpin | After the total disaster caused by Ash dieback, it is completely unnacceptable that the Department of Agriculture are still continuing to allow the importation of trees. Our native hedgerows are under enough threat. | |
| Liam O’Brien | ||
| Maria Donegan | ||
| Dee Sewell | Greenside Up | Pests and diseases don't understand boundaries but as an island, we should have some protection. Please increase import protections and checks, and support local plant growers, and help to raise awareness of yet another devastating disease. |
| David Couper | With Ash dieback and now fireblight in hawthorn, we must act to ensure diversity of habitats. | |
| Denis Deasy | ||
| Ethel Power | ||
| Doreen Phillips Atkinson | Self | Preserving trees growing them and protecting them is vital |
| Philomena Hayes | Please help STOP Fireblight now. Thank you | |
| Greg Carroll | Please stop bringing in compromised and diseased stock from abroad. This will have no environmental benefit if these diseases kill our already established stock. The landscape is already changing due to Ash-dieback diseased trees being cut down. Will we not have the same thing happen to hawthorn? Save our native trees | |
| Amy Brennan | Our hedgerows need to be valued more as the wonderful repository of biodiversity that they are. Hawthorn in particular is a workhorse providing food and shelter for many species. Please protect our hedgerows | |
| Donal Chambers | Kinsale Campus | make all necessary efforts to stop fire blight |
| Lindsey Buchet | The hedgerows are an important habitat for native plants and wildlife | |
| Keelan Hawksby | Kinsale College | |
| Christian Higgins | ||
| Deirdre Lane | KEEN Kildare Environmental Network | Check the root cause save introducing biohazards |
| Sarah Jane Lane | I believe there is an onus on is all to preserve and maintain native Irish hedgerow for the many species who depend on it. Please help to manage and protect this vital habitat. | |
| Thomas Joyce | Farmer | Ashdie back was already let into the country and we need some controls |
| Carole Douglas | Arodstown Amatsu Clinic | We simply can't afford to lose any more hedgerow in this country.... positive action please |
| paul larkin | ||
| Jane O'Sullivan | Sneem TidyTowns | Please stop importing trees into Ireland to prevent the spread of Fireblight disease through our hedgerows and apple orchards |
| Nuala Canny | Yet again we have imported a disease which was preventable, when is this going to stop. | |
| Valerie Vetter | Phibsboro Village Tidy Towns | Dear Minister, there needs to be urgent support for growing Hawthorn, Blackthorn and other native hedgerow and tree species in Ireland as clearly importing these plants brings massive risk from disease. The growing cycle is long so this support needs immediate interventions from the State. Please suspend imports and address the issues now. Yours sincerely, Valerie Vetter |
| Marie Power | We need to apply lessons learnt from Ash die- back and protect our already dwindling hedgerows from disease and imported plants. | |
| Mark Kavanagh | Roots and Reconnections | It is a utter disgrace how wilfully the Irish government disregard nature for the sake of a quick profit. Our value system needs to change or the destruction of nature will be complete. |
| Barry Bates | We're not doing enough to protect our wildlife and there habitat . It's completely unnecessary to import plants such as hawthorn. | |
| David Rice | I fully support this letter. Our native hedgerows need to be protected. | |
| Carmel Moore | Hedgerows are integral for biodiversity and must be protected | |
| Paul Donohue | ||
| Rosie Mason | I treasure the local, native flora. Please do all you can to protect it. | |
| James Coleman | ||
| Nuala Crotty | Irish Wildlife Trust member | I fully agree with the contents of this letter. Please do not put our hedgerows at risk. It could have very serious consequences. |
| Gráinne Tuohy | I understand the danger to our native hawthorn, both from fireb light and the dilution of the native stock. | |
| Tom Lyon | When the hedgerows are gone they are gone they need major protection | |
| Cillian Boyd | Independent | I'm very dissapointed with the government . In 2023 there were 1,006,150 whitethorn trees imported, disaster waiting to happen. We should be planting only irish grown trees and supporting irish growers (even better get people to propagate whitehorn from seeds). Unfortunately the government are willing to risk our biodiversity, as they have done with invasive species through the nursery trade. |
| Eve Hickey | I’d really love to see us take fast action on this and stop these imports of native species. Cant we incentivise our own tree nurseries. Crossing fingers this doesn’t escalate into the absolutely devastating potential it has. | |
| Meabh Boylan | Na | Urgent action required |
| Maisie Lynch | Please take action on Hedgerow Ireland's campaign about fireblight's growing threat to Irish ecosystems. Fireblight is highly contagious and all infected trees must be destroyed. I support Hedgerow Ireland's call on the government to take action to halt the spread of this destructive infection. | |
| Phyllis Griffith | ||
| Chris Betts | Tramore Eco Group | This is the first we have heard of this disease, but will definitely raise awareness among our members and neighbours |
| Neil Kelly | ||
| Eoin Gill | Hedgerows are vital for Ireland’s country wildlife and pathogens such as fireblight must be controlled to mitigate the damage from this and similar threats. | |
| Peter Mason | ||
| Sara Bourke | Our hedgerows are vital for biodiversity and for our sustainable futures. Please take all possible measures to preserve them | |
| Laura Kavanagh | ||
| Trish Griffin | ||
| Elizabeth Byrnes | ||
| Jennifer Doolan | None | I think the Government should be doing more to protect the environment, wildlife habitat and marine life. Without plants, flowers and hedgerows nature and human habitat will be affected in the years to come. |
| John Hilliard | Private person | We need to maintain a healthy biodiversity and ensure infectious diseases including plants are properly eradicated. Japaneese knotweed is still on the rise as is Ash dieback. |
| Christine Y | This disease could devastate our hedgerows which will further impact biodiversity. Hawthorn especially has such an important role in supporting biodiversity as well as having a strong cultural significance. | |
| Paul Manning MSc | In the face of such a threat, it is ludicrous to allow, the importation of potentially contaminated Hawthorn. This needs to be addressed urgently! | |
| Aoife O'Donovan | ||
| Christopher Martín | Private Environmental Consultant | As an island, we have an opportunity to have good biosecurity, like New Zealand. We need to be less lax about importing plants and animals. This is another example of what can go wrong, don't let the Hawthorn become the next Elm. |
| Clare Nee | ||
| Mary Walsh | Imperative we protect our native hedgerows. That government policy assists us to do so. | |
| Brian Sheridan | Farmer in/Acres | Stop imports immediately have we not learned from the Ash die back and the total inadequate policy |
| Paul Kavanagh | Stop a repeat of the Ash dieback disease | |
| Gráinne Dunne | Nature protection is urgent and critical. | |
| Mike Sweeney | Irelands countryside has been badly damaged over hundreds if years. We must act now to save and restore what remains | |
| Eoghan Dunne | ||
| Jen Moore | Please save our beautiful hedgerows by eliminating this disease ASAP | |
| Gráinne Faller | ||
| Killian Griffin | ||
| Rebecca Naughton | ||
| Justin O' Connell | To prevent destruction of hedge rows, fruit trees etc | |
| Seanna O'Boyle-Irvine | ||
| Maeve McCann | Our hedgerows and native trees are vital for our landscape and biodiversity. We must do everything we can to protect them from a human introduced issue. | |
| Frank Guy | Personal | Stop the import of all plants Enforce biodiversity security at our borders Legislate for the continuing destruction of our hedgerows by farmers, dairy especially |
| Anya Stafford | ||
| jen fisher | Kinvara Climate Action | Why are we opening the door for the transport of pests, diseases and invasive species when this could be prevented so easily. |
| June Galligan | Firelight is a problem & we need to stop importing Hawthorn & similar plants. We can grow our own & I hope the minister will take this open letter seriously, as it is extremely important. | |
| Rory MacCanna | Because the cessation of importing plants that can easily be sourced here in ireland is the only way to be sure we stop the disese. It is very clear the plant passports leave too much margin for error | |
| Maighréad Hourihane | Minister McConalogue, Stop importing fireblight, Your name will down in history as the man who could have saved our wonderful hedgerows but didn’t It would take a mere 2 years to rebuild our native hedgerow stock, a mere two years. If only someone had the foresight to stop importing ash dieback or Xylella fastidiosa | |
| Laura Finn | Government shouldn’t allow importation of trees that risks the existence of our own native trees | |
| Róisín Towe | ||
| Jan Musgrave | This needs action now. I am seeing bareroot trees being given away free to promote tree planting.. meanwhile I’m told there is a shortage of native irish trees!!! PLEASE DO NOT CLOSE THE STABLE DOOR AFTER THE HORSE HAS BOLTED.. act now. | |
| Mark McCormick | Have been horrified by the indiscriminate destruction of hedgerows over the past 20 years and very alarmed by the potential for disease brought in from nurseries abroad to further damage the remainder | |
| Anna Roycroft | Bandon environmental action group | Our natural native heritage needs to be protected |
| Richard Creagh | ||
| Una Ruddock | ||
| Judy Naylor | Tidy towns | This is a very serious problem |
| Peter Harbourne | ||
| Diarmaid Kennedy | Fireblight is destroying our hedgerows and this in turn will destroy our wildlife. | |
| Tadgh Maw | Whitethorn is an incredibly important plant for our biodiversity and heritage. I am very worried that this disease could have the same severity of implications as ash dieback and Dutch elm disease. I am also an avid apple grower which could be seriously affected also. We need to stop importing saplings and subsequent disease!! | |
| Bernie Molloy | I’m shocked at the importation of yet another disease after the disaster that has befallen our beloved Ash trees. I fully support this open letter | |
| Stephen Padden | ||
| Marese Hickey | The hawthorn is an important tree for biodiversity, and its berries also yield Crategus, a herbal and homeopathic remedy for heart problems. It is an important tree and needs to be protected. Thank you for your help. | |
| Connie Drost | ||
| Airmid Keogh | Herbalist | |
| Jules Smith | Fireblight could have a huge impact in so many ways. Ash die back is already here. You need to do all you can to bring the power back to Ireland. | |
| Fiona Nulty | ||
| Natasha Page-Wood | The Gentle Travel Guide | Support native provenance plants to prevent such diseases |
| Louise Flood | I believe we can be self sufficient with our own hedging and it is better for the county | |
| Erin Mc Crudden | Flynn Furney Environmental Consultancy | |
| Patricia Raffelt | Myself and future generations | Safe the native and sacred hawthorn trees for our future generations in Ireland. Thank you. |
| Karenina Dunne | I dont agree with importing trees and plants from other countries, which can be grown in Ireland. This practice threatens our plant life and foreign bodies like fungus and flatworms, enter the Irish ecosystem. Stricter measures like Australia use need to be in place. Also invasive species being sold in nurseries & garden centers needs to stop. | |
| Margaret Walsh | Protect the Hawthorn and other trees from fire blight | |
| Elisabeth Haughton | ||
| Orlagh Walsh | Danú Forest Bathing | |
| Ciara McGarrigle | ||
| Lynn Shead | Natures Alchemy | |
| George Leech | We cannot let this become the next ash die back. We must learn from past mistakes, and make sensible decisions to protect native species into the future | |
| Niall Fallon | Do not import trees. Do not import whitethorn. If we don't have it here then we can do without. We'll catch up in a couple of years | |
| Andre Allan Busarello | ||
| Éanna Hyland | ||
| Laura Dinraths | Ireland's native fauna must be managed responsibly and diseases through importing non native species must come to an end.0 | |
| Eve Hickey | The affects of fire blight can be devastating. We have an eu responsibility to act. Already losing more than 70 city tress in dublin 7 to this bacteria we need more education across country all sectors and we need to take preventative measures. Would hate to lose all the rose and hawthorn the way we are losing all the ash | |
| Aoibhinn Molloy Roche | I strongly support this open letter. The importation of non native species must stop. Ash dieback, elm and not white thorn. The lack of foresight with the ACRES Scheme is criminal. | |
| Nikki Carlos | ||
| Deirdre O Brien | I support this letter as the government need to stop The import of all foreign trees & hedging in order to protect our native plants thus protecting birds bees and wildlife. | |
| Aeda Cantillon | Action is needed to prevent more damage to native trees. Heartbreaking to have another disease like the Ash dieback doing so much harm. Please support native trees nurseries. | |
| Susan Powell | Wild about miltown Malbay biodiversity group | Hedgerows support so much wildlife, its important to keep planting native |
| una mollin | We need to protect native species and stop importing trees and plants that destroy them. It is grim to see all the dead ash around the country, the once lush hedgerows are now full of bleak, dead trees. It is irresponsible, and completely avoidable. | |
| Matt Jarvis | Please stop the import whitethorn and save our hedgerows | |
| Grace Fuller | We have already destroyed mutiple native trees such as Ash and Oak by importing foreign trees with diseases. We are losing our native landscape at a rate faster then we can protect and the government is to blame!! | |
| Eilish Ryan | ||
| Bryan Maybury | It's incredibly distressing our beloved hedgerows are under such pressure. Some by having our eyes off the ballandallowing pathogens enter Ireland - now fireblight, preceded by ash dieback etc. Also, our wanton destruction; removing miles of hedges across rural Ireland. What's left trimmed into hedges, often within the nesting season. Possibly at home in domestic gardens. Not in rural settings | |
| Shona MacGillivray | We need to look after our habitat. We need to use native trees with provenance . Lets take the least risks we can to protect and enhance our hedgerows. | |
| Maria Donegan | Please protect our beautiful hawthorn trees. | |
| Orla Breslin | We're losing enough trees as is, to import preventable diseases is a disgrace!! | |
| Toby Demeuldre | ||
| Sarah Jane Lane | I feel that the government are poorly managing environmental issues and biodiversity for far too long. Hedgerows are being decimated nationwide so I feel I want to lend my voice to this vital campaign. | |
| Mitch Corbett | Hometree nursery | Together we can conservation and grow many native provenance trees for irelands hedgerows. Let’s protect them whilst doing it |
| Annie Rowe | Ani vintage | |
| Laura Barron | None | Importing diseased white thorn is crazy. There are 3 years left in the ACRES scheme. Why not plant the whitethorn in the last year which would give time to grow Irish whips. Delay in decision making will mean disaster. Listen to the advice now. Avoid recriminations later. |
| Oonagh Barrett | ||
| Michelle Ní Mhaolmhuaidh | ||
| Catherine Gallagher | ||
| John O'Reilly | ||
| Carmen Manning | ||
| Aine Kelly | Our native trees need to be protected. | |
| Allan Hanratty | ||
| E Moore | ||
| Sylvia Maher | I support this letter as hedgerows are incredibly important pillars of biodiveristy here in Ireland and it is crucial that they are protected from fireblight and other like problems. The spread of the disease also negatively impacts other host trees not in hedgerows such as apples, pears and rowan which are important food stuffs for both people and wildlife. | |
| Rosie Farrell | We need to do all we can to protect these vital ecosystems now more than ever and to act quickly before irreversible damage is done. | |
| Paul Murphy | EirEco Environmental Consultants | The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine needs to immediately cease the importation of Hawthorn and to put in place a proper management plan to control the spread of Fireblight. |
| Katrien Cogan | Self Employed | Minister McConalogue, My name is Katrien Cogan and I am signing this open letter with the sincerest of hopes you will take radical and immediate action to protect our native Hawthorn. The health of our plant citizens and their safeguarding has a value that is limitless. Many thanks in advance |
| Sarah Malone | Please penalise garden centres that stock imported "native" tree species. Incentivise growing irish provenance seed instead. | |
| Marilyne Monpellier | FET Horticulture student | |
| Grace Halton | ||
| Alison Murphy | Irelands biodiversity is in crisis, we need to work on establishing our own native species and not take shortcuts that have further devistating effects on already struggling ecosystems. | |
| Kasia Kaminska | Hedgerows are already being decimated due to mismanagement and removal, don't decimate them at the point of planting too! | |
| Laura R | ||
| Ben Malone | The risk this emerging disease poses to our countrywide is far too great to warrant the import of stock. Should Fireblight take a substantial hold, it is frightening to think of the loss we would suffer to our natural & cultural heritage and the devastating impact it would have on biodiversity on a national scale. Please reverse this decision. | |
| Tom Lynch | Clare Birdwatch Ireland | Action needed urgently. |
| Terri Conroy | Please stop importing diseased trees when we can produce our own. We already know what happened to our Ash trees because the "economic" factors won out over common sense. The economy is not a living thing, our hedgerows are. Our hedgerows are vital in maintaining biodiversity and our heritage | |
| Sophie Smyth | ||
| Ali Crighton | ||
| Regan Hutchins | To protect our native hawthorn and rowan trees, among others, I've signed this open letter. | |
| Vicky Flanagan | ||
| James Powell | ||
| Kate Powell | Having seen all the ash trees around here disappear, I can’t bear the thought of this happening to hawthorn as well. Use mixed hedgerow saplings. Hawthorn not needed to keep stock in anymore | |
| Stephen Porter | ||
| Stela Roibas | Hawthorn is too important to loose it, so we need help to take of it. | |
| Emer Savage | ||
| Jenny Wall | ||
| Monica Forsyth | ||
| Aoife Hickey | ||
| Fiona Ní Bhriain | I support protecting Ireland's bio diversity and our natural hedgerow | |
| Gerard Kiernan | We're in a situation where we're likely going to lose 95% of our native ash trees from a fungal disease imported on trees. Have we learnt nothing? This must be tackled before we have yet another situation that will change the Irish landscape forever. | |
| Áine Mac Carthy | Better to spend a little money preventing the disease entering the country than to spend a lot of money trying to eradicate it. Hedgerows are already doing the heavy lifting in Ireland when it comes to supporting biodiversity. It's critical that they are protected. | |
| Tara Lawlor | Our beautiful native hedgerows are really worth protecting. If Hawthorn is decimated by fire blight, we will be left with massive gaps in our hedgerows, creating fragmentation, reducing unique habitats & food for insects & birds. May would never be the same again without the creamy white flowers in perfect coordination with cow parsley.something I look forward to every year. | |
| Antoinette Breen | Stop bringing imported hedging into this country. We need more planting of healthy I rish native soecies to support animal and bird population across this island. We need more education and transparency on the subject. | |
| Sarah Dixon | Yes | |
| Nessa Darcy | ||
| Maeve Moran | Our native hedgerows are a biodiversity cornerstone and part of our ecological and cultural heritage, and must be protected as such. | |
| Dearbhla Ní Laghin | I love hawthorn trees and think hawthorn trees in full bloom is one of the most beautiful features of the Irish rural landscape and a stunning signal of summer. So many customs are linked to Hawthorn. Please do everything possible to protect them. | |
| Tom Peters | Bio security is of the upmost importance for protecting biodiversity. With climate change bringing warmer springs , in the case with fireblight it is imperative that we make every effort to limit (preferably prevent) the importation of this disease into Ireland so we may control the spread of the bacteria which has already found its way to Ireland. | |
| Matt Nolan | To protect all native species not currently affected by the disease. Preventative maintenance | |
| Kevin O'Reilly | Fireblight from imported trees represents one of the greatest threats to our native biodiversity. We must not let fireblight become the next ash dieback | |
| Blanca Fons | We need to take the Fireblight threat seriously and raise awareness Our trees are vital for the survival of many species including us | |
| Cathleen McCarter | ||
| Enya Burke | ||
| Aoife Corry | ||
| Gemma Daly | Please listen to the scientific evidence and help Hedgerow Ireland to combat fire blight. As a citizen of Ireland who volunteers to protect our native wildlife and their habitats I am dismayed to learn about this latest threat. We must all work together to save our trees and hedgerows. | |
| Therese O'Reilly | We have an ethical duty to meet biodiversity targets, and exceed them if possible. We need to stop the spread of Fireblight to maintain the paltry hedgerows that we currently have. | |
| Federica Bartolomeo | I care about the environment and I would love to support initiatives aimed at protecting native species. | |
| Bryan Tully | Farm | Please put actions in place now, the costs are potentially too great not to. |
| Catriona Lawlor | It makes so much sense ecologically and economically to stop fireblight now than wait for it to take over and have to destroy hedgerows that are currently healthy | |
| Michelle Gannon | ||
| Alex O'Regan | ||
| Emily Clarke | ||
| Tara Conlon | Firelight is a threat to hedgerows which are vital habitat. It is reckless to risk importing it. | |
| Grace Holly | Fireblight is a threat to irish ecosystems | |
| Ruairi Galavan | ||
| Barbara Vasic | ||
| Aine Cou no | ||
| Noel Coogan | Biodiversity Garden Hacketstown | If this disease takes hold our hedgerows are gone and so is our best biodiversity asset. Hedgerows in Ireland are our Amazon jungle. This is too serious to be messing with. |
| Marita Barry | Stop the spread of fireblight | |
| J Farrell | ||
| Maura Ryan | Two species of trees have been destroyed in my lifetime. Hawthorn is essential to the hedgerows of Ireland. In the 1970s the department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to pull out ancient hedgerows to make more land. Now in order to replace the destroyed hedgerows they are destroying existing hedgerows. The Department of Agriculture is destroying biodiversity in Ireland. | |
| Eoin Butler | Oranmore Biodiversity Group | |
| Sharon B | ||
| Millie McLoughlin | Please protect our native trees | |
| Mollie Miller | We need our hedgerows. We need to start using Irish grown only, no imported native trees. | |
| Suzanne Bedell | ||
| Leanne Kavanagh | ||
| Carol Bedell | ||
| Nick Larter | I support this open letter because it outlines appropriate measures to address this problem. | |
| Niamh Doyle | ||
| Jane Heffernan | ||
| Robert Cassidy | ||
| Ondine Roche | ||
| Graeme Ward | Better stricter checks needed when plants are imported into the country to reduce the problem. | |
| Meadhbh Cooke | It is shameful that we could let this be a threat to our beautiful trees. Please take action now! | |
| Shane Ryan | Kill Tidy Towns | Save our hedgerows |
| Brian McElvaney | Dutch Elm disease, Ash dieback disease, Fireblight... The main reason our (diminishing) hedgerows are so often cited as important for biodiversity is because in large parts of the country, that is all that's left for biodiversity. If government can't take these baby steps after declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2019, it's time for an uprising. | |
| Mark Kavanagh | Irish Daily Star | |
| Sabrina Kavanagh | ||
| Brid Hanrahan | ||
| Rhiannon C | Co. Galway | Tá tabhacht ollmhor ag baint le nádúr an tír seo agus i mo thuaraimse ba cheart go mbeidh caomhnú i bhfad níos fad a dhéanamh uirthi. |
| Tony Lowes | Friends of the Irish Environment | The failure to heed your valuable warnings is unbearable and the consequences unthinkable… |
| Hazel Ní Rúairc | ||
| Joan Mulvany | ||
| Claire Callanan | We cannot risk losing our Hawthorn hedges- we must do everything we can to protect them from this disease. | |
| Anne Riordan | So important for maintaining our islands biodiversity. | |
| Gabrielle McGarvey | Baltimore Biodiversity Group | |
| LESLEY Lawn | Thís is a most urgent issue which needs to be addressed NOW No time for the government to delay | |
| Ciaran G | ||
| Jonnie Goyer | This is a really serious issue for hedgerows and all the insects and small mammals they support. Urgent action is needed. | |
| Mary Lacey-Dollard | BEECHFIELD FARM | Organic Farming |
| Patricia O'Flaherty | Tracton Biodiversity group | Hedgerows are the lifeblood of Ireland's wildlife. Ban the import of hawthorns and other plants so that we only use native species produced in Ireland 🇮🇪 to protect the land and its inhabitants. |
| Sekeeta Crowley | Sustainable Skibbereen, Biodiversity Baltimore | The import of trees increases the risk of imported disease as has been clearly demonstrated by the devastating results of the introduction of ash die back. The government needs to be forward looking and impose restrictions now rather than leaving it too late for our hedgerows. Protect what we have and what we need in the future. Stop the imports. |
| Carmel Duffy | Caretaker of one acre of mostly wild land. Grandmother, permacultures, FoE supporter, Green Party member | Hedgerows are very ancient and provide huge habitat for multiple species, and deuces for wildlife from the ravages of modern agriculture. |
| Finnbar Howell | ||
| Patrick Donohoe | Landowner Ireland | There are zero control on our borders. We need to protect are native habitat. |
| Ciara Jameson | To save and preserve our Hawthorns and Hedgerows | |
| Anne Guerin | Turners Cross Climate Action Group. | This issue will cost the government down the line. Prevent it before it’s too late .. please! |
| Laura Doyle | ||
| Aoibhinn ODonoghue | ||
| Jo Murphy | ||
| Jennifer Carey | We can’t stand back and let this happen. To lose our beloved hedgerows of Hawthorn and Rowan would be an ecological disaster for wildlife and a very very sad day for us humans. It is of upmost importance that we protect our native hedgerows. Please read enclosed letter and take action immediately before it’s too late. | |
| Mary Fitzsimons | We can grow our own trees. We need to be more circumspect regarding importation of. Plants and fruit. We already are losing ash trees. We don't need to lose hawthorn hedges too. We didn't have fruit flies until 2008, now they're everywhere in hedges . Enough. We need a proper biosecurity border Including NI. | |
| Nicole O'Sullivan | ||
| Gillian Gormley | Action MUST be taken now. We have already seen what has happened our nat9ve Ash trees. Action. Not excuses. | |
| Jayne Gaffney | To protect our trees | |
| Sharon Ní Neill | ||
| Jillian Delaney | Turner's Cross Climate Action Group | Please take all measures as outlined in the attached letter to protect our invaluable native hedgerows |
| Dervla Murphy | Native Woodland Trust and Hedgerows Ireland | Best practice is for landowners, businesses and councils to wait til we have enough native stock germinated and reared over the next 5 to 10 years, before we go promoting woodland/ hedgerow schemes. Best things are worth waiting for. |
| Anne Marie Hynes | ||
| Jennifer Rowe | There needs to be a concerted effort to build our own infrastructure for growing so that pathogens aren't imported and decimate species. | |
| Rosie Dignam | We can't lose more of our indigenous plants. | |
| Carmel Orme | ||
| Marika Dunne | ||
| Emma Hogan | ||
| Sharon hickey | ||
| Fiona breslin | ||
| Kelsey Knight | To preserve the natural wildlife of Ireland, to support the continuation of health amongst the native trees and to stop the importation that which carries the destructive infestation of fireblight. | |
| Randal McGuckin | Our countryside is important and we must protect it especially from invasives - be they diseases , flaura or fauna. On the continent, there are not the same number of hedgerows as Ireland and the countryside is so poor because of it. Keep it and other invasives out! | |
| Cormac Noonan | To protect the hawthorn tree which is an important and sacred tree in our Irish culture | |
| Áine Hughes | ||
| Chloe Maybury | ||
| Aoife Finnegan | ||
| TJ Leahy | To save our trees | |
| Jamie A | ||
| Mark Gibney | ||
| Ciara Sherlock | We need to take ash die back and other pathogens seriously! For all ecology | |
| Lorna Bryson | ||
| Fintan Keogh | ||
| Shannon Haubrich | I support this letter for the protection of the sacred trees and hedgerows of Ireland. | |
| Orla van der Noll | ||
| Caitriona Madden | ||
| Maura McHale | ||
| Gráinne Quinn | We can stop this if we get out of short term thinking | |
| Rory Maguire | Our native plants are so important to everything living on this Island. Please do everything possible to protect them. Kind regards, Rory Maguire | |
| Nicole O Kelly | I support this open letter as I do not want our native trees damaged. The are part of our heritage, our culture and they deserve to thrive. It would be a huge loss to us to loose so many trees die to a disease that is being caused by importation. | |
| Llewyn Máire | Savage Craic | |
| Ciaran Tyrrell | These trees are so important for so many reasons. Environmentally, culturally, spiritually. Please protect our trees. | |
| Marina Ní Mhurchú | We need to protect Irish native trees which are being destroyed by imported species spreading bacterial diseases. | |
| Amber Coleman | ||
| Dora Maybury | ||
| Philip Lynch | ||
| Keelin Quigley | Wildflower Health | Our hedgerows are important habitats for lots of wild animals & birds. Our trees are keepers of wisdom, they provide healing, beauty & are important to regulate climate, preserve soil & form part of an important network for our wildlife to live & travel safely. |
| Sadhbh Quinn | ||
| Sandra Middleton | To keep our native trees safe..the attack on our native trees and black honey bees has to stop. stop the importing of foreign trees and bees.. | |
| Alice Cavanagh | Ireland's hedgerows are one of the last biodiversity strongholds in the country, please do everything to protect them from this disease and support the Irish people who grow locally. | |
| Pamela Flynn | We need to preserve Irish trees | |
| Stephen Johnston | ||
| Louis Peacock | ||
| Martha Ryan | ||
| Christopher Carolan | Please stop the import of hawthorn (crataegus monogram). The loss of such an important plant to our indigenous, spiritual and national wisdom and use would be a knife in the heart of our culture. | |
| Daryl Noonan | BEO | I have a deep love and connection with our native species. I see first hand the healing and connection to land and self that these trees and plants can bring to the Irish people. For that reason I will do anything in my power to help with this problem |
| Emer McKenna | We need to protect our native hedgerows | |
| Maighréad Hourihane | Concerned citizen ' | Minister McConalogue, your name will go down in history as the man who could have stopped the death of our beautiful hedgerows |
| Natalie Everitt | ||
| Laura Lynch | ||
| Anna Devlin | It is vital this disease does not take hold in Ireland - act now | |
| Katie Glynn | ||
| Mary Flynn | I support this open letter because untold damage is done to the natural habitat, flora and fauna. it is also a serious cause of pollution and destruction to the local environment. | |
| Dermot Rowan | A member of the IFA, ASA. GRAIN GR0WERS ASSOC | The Minister of Agr still has the opportunity to adopt comprehensive control measures to prevent the spread of this devastating disease. In then the case of Ash Dieback, the Dept's painfully slow reaction has already cost landowners and taxpayers, millions of euros. Please lets not have a repeat of this disaster. |
| Brid Farrell | Please support and encourage the planting of Irish provenance hedgerows in preference to imported varieties. Thank you. | |
| Geraldine Thornton | Because hawthorn is so important in our native hedgerows. It would damage biodiversity if fireblight was allowed spread unchecked throughout the countryside. | |
| Jarlath Costello | We have completely failed to stop Ash dieback, meaning the next generations won't know what one looks like. We can't afford to let the same happen to hawthorns | |
| angela Nolan | protect our native hawthorn | |
| Patricia Barr | We depend on our hedgerows to support biodiversity and it would be a serious blow to our cultural heritage to lose hawthorn as well as ash. Fireblight prevention is crucial. | |
| Vincent Kilduff | To prevent the spread of hawthorn plant disease from imported plants. | |
| Michele Hallahan | We cannot afford to lose any more hedgerows. They are the last refuge for our diminishing bird population. Wake up to the reality of biodiversity loss!!!!! | |
| Mark Morris | ||
| Max Van der Lee | Individual | To prevent a similar ashdieback situation, save our hedgerow habitats, save our money and time we must act now and reinstate the requirement for the ACRES scheme hawthorn to have irish origin. otherwise thousands of km will be planted in vein, leaving farmers once again mismanaged by government schemes. |
| Imelda Connolly | Hawthorn is/has been a beautiful tree in our countryside, so important for wildlife also. Please learn feom previous lessons and stop importing diseases. Fund irish nursery growth to meet demands. | |
| eoin mcnamee | none | I support a ban on imported stocks which might cause harm to our native species |
| Anne Cecilia heffernan | I want to protect our hedgerows_ the few that are remaining. | |
| Kevin Corrigan | ||
| Claire Davidson | Please don't make the same mistakes of the past. Hedgerows are the forests of Ireland. Do not allow the importation of hedging. | |
| Martina Finn | Center for Environmental Living & Training - CELT | We support the urgent call to reinstate the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirements for Hawthorn in ACRES hedgerow planting and delay planting actions until the demand-supply gap is filled and to suspend all imports of Hawthorn plants due to the potential risk of importing disease. |
| Laura Dinraths | ||
| Stephen Ryan | Green Woodwork Ireland | Our woodlands and hedgerows support our native wildlife and should be protected. |
| Sean Greif | ||
| Claire McCluskey | ||
| Anne O'Connell | We need to protect our beautiful hedgerows in Ireland. | |
| Hilary Last | ||
| Liz Mc auley | ||
| Stephanie Gahan | Dear Ministers I call on you to please help in the keeping of Ireland free of hedgerow diease. Please stop the importation of hedge trees and shrubs. Sincerely Stephanie Gahan | |
| Suzanne Rogers | We have seen what has happened through ash die back. We need to protect our other tree species and keep them native. We risk loosing too much through Fire light. | |
| Muireann Ni Sheanlaoich | Please save our crucial biodiversity! | |
| Amanda ELLIS | Fireblight threatens the hedgerows etc which are the bones of our wildlife habitat | |
| Lorraine McGreevy | Beautiful hedgerows kn Roscommon please act to protect what we have. | |
| Dora Sneddon | Ireland has already learned a harsh lesson from imported ash which introduced die back and has decimated native ash throughout the country. This alone should have informed an extremely cautious approach to importing any plants which might potentially bring in other devastating diseases. Stop importation of hawthorn, with the high risk of introducing fire blight and devastating indigenous plants. | |
| Catherine O’Neill | I support this open letter because I value our hedgerows as part of our natural environment; I wish to see them protected and cared for. Our own wellbeing is intrinsically connected to that of our natural world. Please take action, thank you, Kate | |
| Cormac O' Connell | Concern about fireblight. | |
| Pearse McBride | Please learn from the mistakes of the past regarding ash. | |
| Sean Maxwell | Individual | We need to preserve our native hedgerows. |
| Lisa Cleary | Save hedgerows! | |
| Lee Carabini | Save the hedgerows! | |
| Anne Marie Brady | Chapel Gate/Pine Ridge Resident’s Association | Importing trees also reduces Ireland’s ability to safeguard the genetic diversity of native tree species. We must protect our Hedgerows. |
| Stuart McCaul | ||
| Martina Finn | Third Space Galway | Hedgerows are a vital part the health and wellbeing of our ecosystem they need to be protected. Please stop destructive importation practices and protect our natural and cultural heritage. |
| Carmel Greene | ||
| Edel McCoy | Please save our trees | |
| Tania Martin | Dear minister, Please take whatever action is needed to stop imports of trees and hedging which can be grown successfully in Ireland. I'm sure you're very aware of the damage caused already with the spread of foreign diseases. Make us proud, show some common sense! | |
| Alistair Cowan | Time to stop the importation of plant species that are potential carriers. | |
| Dervilla Keegan | The Organic Centre | The Organic Centre supports taking the immediate actions listed to ensure the protection of our hawthorn hedgerows and biodiversity. |
| Stephanie Cloonan | Independent | |
| Oisin Stephens | ||
| Pat Sweeney | Ballina Beekeeping Association | |
| Brian McSkane | ||
| Sandra Murphy | ||
| Martin Kearney | We'd rather not have the forty plus fruit trees on our allotment killed by a random fireblight outbreak. | |
| Gerard Loftus | Rural Ireland Organisation | We imported Ash dieback and now we are importing more diseases because we haven’t nursery’s set up for farmers. |
| Bridget Murphy | ||
| Rebecca Payling | ||
| Pavel Smirnov | ||
| Noel O'Connor | Kilcooly Farm | Currently have confirmed fireblight on the farm and no contact from Dept about what's going to happen and when. 6+ months waiting now |
| Brian O Toole | Wildacres | As Hedgerows are a vitally important wildlife habitat given our extremely low native deciduous woodland cover |
| Kate Flood | Community Wetlands Forum | |
| Sinead Doran | ||
| M Hayes | Environmental Trust Ireland | We are in a serious biodiversity crisis. Loss of native hedgerows will exasperate this ecological crisis. There is a complete misunderstanding and lack of appreciation about ecosystems and how they are interrelated. The relevant provision in the ACRES circular need to be revised and relevant phytosanitary and quarantine measures introduced urgently. |
| FIACHRA COLGAN | We need to protect our native Hedgerows. | |
| Helen Haugh | ||
| Jane Williams | ||
| Isabelle Forrest | I’m a horticultural student in UCD, home to ancient native Irish apple trees and I helped plant these ACRE hedgerows. I don’t have years of experience but I know importing these plants that we can grow natively in the wake of the ash dieback disaster is naive and irresponsible. Irish nurseries should must be supported through the influx in demand. | |
| Selena Mckenzie | Organic Farmer IFA member | I want it on record that farmers and farm orgs wanted the hedgerow planting ACERS scheme to be run over the years of the scheme to allow indigenous nurseries the ability to supply our own to avoid importation of disease from Europe ….. |
| Gearoid O'Connor | IFA | To create awareness of the danger of importing disease into the countryside, like the Ash dleback. |
| Alan Quigley | As a nature lover I support this bill | |
| John Dunne | Ifa | Have they learned anything from the mistakes of the ash |
| Richard O Brien | IFA | Why put our native hedgerows at risk by importing plants instead of staggering the planting requirements over the 5 year acres scheme |
| Bernadette Connolly | The Environmental Forum | Our Hedgerows are one of our most important landscape features that deliver multiple services for Biodiversity, climate, food production & people. They are already very challenged by poor maintenance & over cutting. We need to stop the risk of introducing this disease which will further destroy trees & hedgerows. |
| Tadhg Gleeson | ||
| Richard Sheil | Farmer | We shouldnt import anything into the country that is related to any native plants or species that would threathen their survival unless absolutely neccesary and especially not from high risk areas, and there are no good reasons to import hawthorn, we should use our island to our advantage, and i include the north, keep out what we cant control. |
| Louise Butler | Artist | There are thousands of trees with Ash die back and something needs to be done to help this cause |
| Marina Carr Moore | Please prevent the introduction of Fireblight and loss of the essential hedgerows that make Ireland. | |
| PADRAIG STEVENS | CreativePlacesTuam. | The hawthorn is so important in Irish life, as a living bush of course, but also in the heritage and folklore of our people. |
| Paul O Brien | Don't let this be another Dutch elm disaster | |
| Laura Hynes | ||
| Helen Veale | Why does your government not listen to the real experts? You have the Green Party sharing power and still these disasters continue. Stop thinking about how you can save ministers salaries and do what you were elected to do. | |
| Kate O Dwyer | The importance of hawthorn cannot be measured especially in relation to it's use for herbal medicine and tinctures. It's very difficult to see the Ash trees with dieback but I don't think we can imagine how the countryside would look without hawthorn, the West of Ireland would be a very different place. | |
| Stephanie Cunningham | ||
| Margaret Sheehan | Headford Environment Group | We are already suffering huge losses from Ash Dieback which makes fighting firelight doubly urgent. |
| Gerry Kehoe | Naas wild food festival | |
| Carmel Burke | ||
| John McDonald | IFA | A 5 year planned programme for hedge planting using only Irish nurseries stock. |
| Sylvia Matthews | ||
| Micheal De Roiste | Not to learn from previous mistakes is stupidity. Allowing in disease carrying plant imports will kill our native stock. We say no no no to this. | |
| Ross Buchanan | Inish Forestry | Preserve Irelands island status and keep diseases out! |
| Gwen Dring | It is so important for our ecosystems and wildlife to protect our native hedgerows Hawthorns | |
| Anne McTigue O'Connor | Stop this importation right away as it is not good for our Irish species | |
| Jojo Hynes | ||
| Amy Barry | ||
| Daniel Byrne | ||
| Brenda McDonagh | These trees are so precious, valued and vital. Please help protect them. | |
| Evelyn Stevens | Please ban the importation of hawthorn plants to prevent fire blight from coming in to the country | |
| Denise Murtagh | ||
| Eleanor Clancy | NA | Hedgerows are essential for the environment and support the survival of many native species . |
| Bernie Monaghan | ||
| Julie Lee | ||
| Mary OConnor | ||
| Shirley Hope-Sweeney | ||
| Sinead Lynn | I live in the country side - connemara & Ash die back has destroyed the Ash trees around me. I have lots of native trees eg hawthorn & Rowan in my hedgerows to support our wildlife eg hedgehogs. Please do everything you can to stop the spread of fire blight. | |
| Sheila Roche | ||
| Jennifer Cunningham | Stop importing hedgerow plants from Europe | |
| Margaret Griffiths | I am upset at the thought of the damage bring done to our native species | |
| Mary Walsh | ||
| Carmel Keating | Protect our ancient hedgerows. Do what needs to be done to protect our trees from fireblight. Our ash trees are already doomed. Don’t let this affect other tree species. | |
| Marie Galvin | ||
| Patricia Byrne | We need to value our native species | |
| Bernie Conway | ||
| Maighréad Ní Annrachan | Act now to save our hedge rows before it’s too late Don’t be responsible for the next ecological disaster | |
| Noirin Mulvihill | This needs to be tackled sooner rather than later. The time for action is now | |
| Anne Mulvihill | Please act now before it's too late. | |
| Maud Hand | Self sufficient gardener | Please stop needlessly destroying our native trees by importing infected ones. |
| Jo Lynch | This is serious please address thanks | |
| Frank Gleeson | For the love of god will ye cop on? | |
| Fiach Walker | This would be absolutely devastating for the whole of Ireland. Hawthorns are in every hedgerow on every road in Ireland. We need to ensure they are protected. We need to stop importing this to minimise the risk. And we could start our own native stock nursery to deal with the need instead of importing and putting our ecosystem at risk. | |
| Cáit Gleeson | ||
| Mary Casey | Because it is vitally important to protect our native hedgerows. | |
| Jeannette Campbell | I believe in the biodiversity of hedges and a reduction in the need for wire fencing. | |
| Deirdre Nolan | I would not like to see the fate of hawthorn follow that of the ash trees | |
| Ursula King | Afforestation goals should take into account effects on our native biodiversity. Aside from the huge risk of importing Erwinia amylovora with the importation of hawthorn; importing native trees (inc. seed) flies in the face of protecting our genetically adapted indigenous species. Has DAFM not learnt from the two previous Ash debacles - Brown Bud Ash (see Coford) and Ash Dieback? | |
| Santiago Rial | Gaelic Woodland Project | |
| Aoife Caffrey | The yoga clann | We need to protect our native species. Stop importing seeds and trees from other countries. Look at what’s happened to our native ash tree. Our ecosystem is under so much strain and comes down to capitalist greed. Hedgerows are a vital part of our biodiversity they need to be protected. |
| Aoife Lowden | We need to stop importing trees and putting our native trees which are already in a dire state at risk. | |
| Fiona Dack | Let's stop this now and not follow the same mistakes we made with the elm disease and ash dieback. | |
| Gerard Litster | Please stop the import of non native plants which spread non native disease in our country and the mechanical flailing of trees which help spreads disease | |
| Paul O’Brien | Hedgerows Ireland | Please take example of Australia in guarding against fruit fly in how we protect our natural environment here which is already under serious pressures without the introduction of this disease. |
| Rebecca O'Sullivan | QUB | |
| Philip Hayden | An Óige Environmental Conservation Group | Hawthorn is vital species to Ireland's hedgerows and the actions called for in this letter to prevent Fireblight devastatingmust be taken. them |
| Adrian Gahan | Something both environmentalists and farmers can agree upon! | |
| Niall Fitzgerald | ||
| Gearóid Mc Evoy | Reforest Nation Ltd | We at Reforest Nation, support this open letter and believe the government hasn’t gone far enough to protect our native flora from diseases like fire blight and ash dieback. Loosing our native trees and hedgerows will result in a loss of Irelands essence and natural heritage. |
| Geraldine Gahan | Please act quickly to try and contain this serious threat to our hedgerows, trees and the wildlife which depends in them. | |
| Catherine Murphy | ||
| Éilís Murphy | The Dept of Agriculture are being incredibly reckless importing hawthorn with the risk of disease. It might make a great sound bite to say that ACRES has planted XXXX kilometres of hedgerows but what’s the point if it has to be destroyed in a decade’s time, taking with it more mature hedgerows. | |
| Nuala Wall | Please stop throwing money at problems. Plan and implement solutions in a thoughtful and progressive way. Making rash decisions creates pinch points and doesn't help the problem your trying to solve. | |
| Michael Curtin | The necessary proactive action needs to be takento prevent the spread of this Fireblight bacterial disease to stop it damaging our vital hedgerows. | |
| EILEEN SHANAHAN | The Working Horse on the Farm Society | Destruction of hedgerows leads to a decline and death of wildlife. Hedge cutting equipment needs to be regulated ie the appropriate equipment and training certificates should be mandatory for all contractors and farmers. |
| Sadhbh O'Sullivan | ||
| Hazel Conway | Hedgerows are extremely important to Ireland's ecosystem | |
| Adrian O Connor | ||
| Jack O Donovan | Please don't let us have a repeat of ash dieback on our Fairy Tree. | |
| Elizabeth Walsh | ||
| Anthony Clearn | Care for the environment must include protecting plant health. | |
| clyde doyle | The government needs to do, and invest, more to protect our natural heritage. | |
| Dr D Moran | Bowline Risk Management | Please restrict these imports. Please educate your officials and take better action to control schemes and prevent importation of infected organisms. While greedy middle operators enable this wiser leadership is required. Australia take this more seriously and we used to have good controls. Time to act and sort out. |
| Fergus Cassidy | Our native hedgerows need to be preserved. Growing up on an irish farm, we always maintained the hedges, otherwise, it'll be wire fencing and no natural shelter for the animals or crops. | |
| Val Swan | None | Particularly after elm and ash disease, the loss of Hawthorn would be devastating for the countryside and for the fauna and flora it supports |
| Naomi Mooney | Green Fridays | Please protect our Hedgerows. We support protecting our hedgerows from Fireblight. |
| Baya Rouzoul | I urge the Irish Government to act on this with speed. | |
| Tiffany Dowson | ||
| Adrian Kerrigan | Hedgerows ireland | I support the prevention of firelight |
| Bernie Cosgrove | Has the government learned nothing after destroying our beautiful Ash trees. Ban the import of plants that carry disease and cause irreparable damage. | |
| Robert Stapleton | ||
| keith Armitage | No need to import native trees into Ireland. | |
| G M | ||
| Mary Gregory | Minister let's not be lazy about this and do something before it's too late. It's bad enough getting something like this wrong once. Let's learn from our mistakes in the past and plan properly for schemes such as Acres. Promote the growth of native tree nurseries to produce Irish provenance trees for these schemes. | |
| Lisa Nihill | ||
| Denise Boothman | Sir, please organise all agri-environmental schemes in close communication with the Irish nurseries, so they have a chance to grow enough to meet the needs of the scheme applicants. Please stop importing plants (animals and insects e.g. bees) from other countries. Also can we get some more research going on natural farming methods (see Chris Trump KNF on YouTube) . | |
| Connie Purcell | ||
| Elizabeth Gageby Bell | ||
| Siofra Sealy | ROD | We already have enormous loss of habitat to support wildlife and protected species on this country, we have to do everything we can to protect the remnant natural habitats we have left. |
| Sean Windsor | Ditches and hedgerows are disappearing daily with irreversible damage being done to wildlife; protect our hedgerows! | |
| Michael O'Dowd | Irish Farmers Association | Stop All imported trees and plants,especially whitethorn into Ireland, we cannot afford another disaster like Ash Dieback . This policy is Insane and our Government is responsible in allowing all our nature corridors been decimated thereby reducing our chances of having a home for all our wildlife and natural environmental protectors. |
| Catherine Clinton | Save the Hawthorn | |
| Mary Murray | Ireland cannot afford to lose its existing and ancient hedgerows. Planting new hedgerows has to take second place to protecting what we have. Importing hedgerow species (hawthorn) has to halt now. The government needs to step in and then support nurseries to produce stock for the future. | |
| Louise Jordan | We must prevent the importation of contaminated plants. | |
| Karen Loxton | How can this be happening again after Ash Dieback? The incompetence of those responsible is breathtaking. | |
| Billie O’Shea | ||
| Aaron Gray | holistic engineering | |
| Megan Earls | ||
| Jim Mc Namara | Hawthorn is the backbone of our hedges and the rural.landscape. it's the living pharmacy and food store for much of our wildlife. Like Ash dieback this disease can be devastating and must be prevented spreading further. | |
| Gerry Power | Because of the imminent danger to our native Hawthorn hedges ( and subsequently our wildlife) by the continued importation of non native plants. | |
| Donna Rainey | Please protect our existing hedgerows & Hawthorns,by preventing further imports of Hawthorn which risk spreading fire light,which will destroy our vital hedges. | |
| Mary Buckley | Tidy Towns | |
| Deborah Arthur | ||
| Michael Murphy | We need to minimse the risk of introducing any further plant diseases into ireland. The impact of fire blight on our remanining hedgegrows would be devastating. Native Irish Hawthorns only! | |
| Etaoin Holahan | Fennelly’s of Callan | |
| Stephen Holland | Our ash trees are devastated, box blight impacted many hedges in formal gardens in 2023. Imagine the impact on nature of a widespread blight in our hawthorn hedgerows which are so prolific and integral to the landscape. | |
| Celine Holland | I do not think Hawthorn should be imported bringing the possibility of blight with it. | |
| Patricia Sharkey | Gweebarra Conservation Group | We can ill afford to import diseased trees into Ireland. No tree importations! |
| Patricia Forster | Have we not learned our lessons from the devastating problems other imports have caused. These plants are native and easily grown from our own stock. If demand can’t be met , there should be incentives for Irish nurseries to increase production. | |
| Maeve Connolly | ||
| Tahirih O Brien | Our country's land has been devastated repeatedly since we were colonized, we have had the power to act for many decades and still our ecosystems and biodiversity suffer. This can and should be prevented form becoming worse to a point of no return. | |
| Jessie Byrne | Awareness about this is crutial now so we dont end up with a situation like Ash die back | |
| Diane Foord | Do not import trees. Hawthorn readily grows from seeds in Ireland. | |
| Jane O'Sullivan | Sneem Tidytowns | Please stop importing hawthorn and other native tree species, have no lessons been learned from ash, this decision is crazy to allow their importation. We should be supported in growing our own. Old Hedgerows are still being ripped out, this needs to be stopped and more education put into hedgelaying, etc. |
| Heidi Haenschke | Protect our degrees and wildlife | |
| Catherine Caulwell | An t-Ionad Glas, the Organic College | Invest in local tree propagation systems rather than importing problems. And be wary of organisation promoting GM solutions. Thank you for your consideration and fast action. |
| Fran Power | Hawthorn is easy to grow in Ireland- so why import it given the risk of infection with fireblight | |
| Kinta Oakes | Kinta Oakes Landscape Design | We obviously need action on this now. There are nough diseases that our natives are having to deal with ie Ash die back, Dutch elm disease. Oak permissary moth. Now firelight. Please stop this now. |
| Deirdre Prince | ||
| Sarah Jordan | ||
| Ingrid Smyth | GLDA | Fireblight needs to stopped |
| Sean OConnor | Green party | Please try and help us preserve our hedgerows from fire blight. Thankyou. |
| Deirdre Davis | Dunboyne Biodiversity and Tidy Towns Gp. | Please take any action necessary to fight against Fireblight. Please do not import plants from affected areas. |
| Sadhbh Kurzawska | I support the banning of imported Hawthorne due to the risk of Fireblight. | |
| Patricia Tyrrell | Please ban imports of hawthorn. One of our most important hedgerow trees. We have already lost elm and Ash and cannot afford to lose anymore through reckless importation whose sole purpose is to tick boxes for hedgerow restoration on farms. | |
| Fiona O Reilly | Stop importing hawthorn as a quick fix. Instead focus on encouraging the development of tree nurseries in Ireland to supply the considerable demand for native trees of all sorts - Roman, hazel, birch, guelder rose, spindle, blackthorn etc. Also stop the current practice of sending Irish germinated seedlings to the continent to grow on for a season. | |
| Mark Jervis | ||
| Patricia ONeill | Please protect our native ecosystem. It’s the only one we have. Thank you. | |
| Eileen Deely | Farmer | Our farm is full of wild hedgerow growth. We already see the ash being hit so severely and of course we should not be introducing more risk to devastating existing plants when planting more. Its just nonsense. |
| Gráinne Vaughan | Glendree Nature Corridors Group | The destruction of hedgerows and disrespect for wildlife breaks my heart |
| Mary Magee | ||
| jean Heraty | ||
| Louise Mac Elwain | Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants | It is essential for the government to intensify efforts in combating fireblight. Strengthening preventative measures and implementing effective control strategies is crucial at this stage to prevent the devastating impacts similar to those witnessed with Ash dieback. Action is needed before it is too late. |
| Louis Peacock | Louis Peacock ecology | Importing trees to Ireland to help the environment isint sensible, promote Irish tree growers for locally sourced seeds. We have the climate for it! Biosecurity basics are necessity here-learn from ash dieback...... |
| George Lett | Ditches and hedgerows are disappearing daily with irreversible damage being done to wildlife, these are also important for insect life to feed young birds. | |
| Amy O Donnell | Ireland needs to take bio security seriously in the flight against fireblight. The damage this would cause for wildlife would be devastating. Our hedgerows are already I'm such a poor condition in so many areas. | |
| Daithi Floinn | N/a | Important to protect our native plants and trees. |
| Miriam Mc Guill | Friends of the Earth Dundalk | Please stop Fireblight spreading in Ireland. There needs to be far more control on importing trees to Ireland.It would be terrible if we lost our Hawthorns,Rowans and other native trees. |
| Joshua Dyson | Too many destructive diseases are being spread from country to country, coming in to Ireland, on imported plants. Action should be taken to stop the import of such plants, perhaps even stop the import of plants altogether if it is impossible to prevent the import of such diseases on them. | |
| Phil O Callaghan | Portmarnock Tidy Towns | |
| Michelle McKenna | Please put laws in place to save our Native trees. Help educate people about their care . | |
| Julie Forrester | Please take care of our hedgerows | |
| Michele Castiaux | An Taisce (NGO) | I live in Co. Laois, which has many hawthorn hedgerows. If Fireblight was to spread, the landscape would be drastically changed and this would result in a huge loss of ecosystems. |
| Cian Moynan | ||
| Seán Brosnan | ||
| Martin Reading | Ballycullane Tidy Towns | Local grown for local use |
| Monica Boyle | ||
| Anna Benn | Protect our native hawthorn trees and ban importing trees and shrubs. The ash blight that has ravaged Ireland's ash population is a tragedy. | |
| Pamela Walsh | Stop importing trees and hedges . | |
| Derry O Donnell | ||
| Elsmer Dinsmore | As an ecologist I'm appalled at the stupidity and lack of care shown by this government. Whoever ok'd the importation of non native trees in a biodiversity crisis should be fired. | |
| Noel Gavigan | I fully support planting more native species, but that must be done with native provinence stock and in a way that protects us from importing fire blight. We have lost Ash as a species as a result of not having due care. | |
| Gigi Mccormack | Protecting our native trees and hedgerows is more important than ever. These trees play a huge part in our biodiversity. | |
| Peadar Lafferty | As we plant more, we have to keep the mature hedging and trees we have or we'll get backwards | |
| Debbie Scanlan | I believe our environment needs protected. This is essential for our survival. | |
| Tony O'Brien | I cannot understand why are we still importing trees and shrubs that are continually infecting our native trees. Why has there not been a ban put in place after ash die back was bought in from Poland. Will you take Fireblight in Ireland seriously and stop allowing imports of diseased trees and plants. | |
| Ian Fleming | Nargc | Love this tree |
| Owen Elliott | There are two many reasons to list why we need to stop the spread of this disease. | |
| Sarah Tierney | ||
| Anne Cowley | Hawthorn is an integral part of our hedgerows and its loss will have a devastating effect on our natural and cultural heritage. There are further implications for hedgerows if our native Crab Apple and Rowan trees become infected. The grave consequences for food crops must be considered. I fully support the recommendations of Hedgerows Ireland in their letter dated 01/03/24. | |
| Aoife Mckernan | ||
| Bob Reilly | Horticulture Instructor | For any farming schemes, generally welcome, prior notice needs to given to growers of home grown Trees. I say home grown as Beech, Horse Chestnut are naturalised now and I can’t imagine the Irish landscape without them. No way should we be importing whip size species that can be grown from seed on the island. |
| Jimmy O’Keeffe | ||
| Laura Moore | Please do not carry out the reckless and foolish actions of importing from abroad what grows well and naturally in Ireland. Heed the disaster of the ash die back and be wise enough to not repeat it. | |
| becky firmage | ||
| Edmund Doherty | ||
| Ann Fenlon | ||
| John Baker | Earth Restore | Can't say anything polite here. I am so angry about the way our landscape is being abused. |
| Eavan Kinch | It's important to look after all our trees and hedges and make sure to keep them healthy. | |
| Conor Ryan | The appearance of Fireblight is very concerning coming as it does in the wake of Ash dieback. Government would undoubtedly be very quick to act to prevent the spread of animal disease. There shouldn't be any difference when is comes to plant disease. Halt all imports now before it's too late. | |
| Pat Dunning | Save our native biodiversity | |
| THOMAS CUSACK | OUGHTERARD COURTHOUSE CONSERVATION & HERITAGE COMPANY | A timely and effective campaign will prevent the disease getting out of control and prevent us incurring much greater costs of control at a later time. |
| Niamh Swanson | As a beekeeper and organic smallholder fire blight has devastating potential to destroy fruit crops, hedgerows, pollinators and wildlife. We have spent years regenerating our hedgerows for nature and fireblight puts all that at risk. | |
| Olivia Carrington | Please protect our trees | |
| Alan Mccabe | River blackwater catchment trust | |
| Philomena Hayes | Please stop importing any type of tree….. subsidies should be given to grow these here in Ireland Lots of potential to do so | |
| Grainne Gaynor | This is one if our most loved and well know native plants..which is very valuable to us. | |
| Saoirse Mchugh | ||
| Chris Barron | Because at this time of our biodiversity crisis it is so important to be doing all that we can to look after the native species that we do have which so many other species depend on. It's so important to plant local provenance trees and shrubs. | |
| Kate O Carroll | We need to protect our hedgerows!! | |
| Rebecca Naughton | ||
| Dee Shepherd | Why are we destroying even more hedgerows and the life that is sustained within them? | |
| Fiona Leckey | ||
| Damian Christie | A countryside without hawthorns is unimaginable | |
| Tim Clabon | Irish Wildlife Trust | Hawthorn supports wildlife by providing shelter for nesting birds and food for many of our native and migrant species of bird. Mammals also feed and shelter on Hawthorn. The flowers support many pollinators early in the year, and also is the food plant of other insect species. It is vital for biodiversity. Its loss would be devastating. |
| Gerald Furnell | Have we learnt nothing from the Ash die back fiasco? Stop importing diseases. | |
| Damian Barker | NARGC | Hedgerows are a vital part of our eco system as corridors, nesting areas and food source for most of our bird and mammal species it must be protected |
| Amanda Hughes | ||
| Keith Foran | NARGC | Well done. |
| Aoife Ní Mhaitiú | Protect our precious native trees | |
| Sinead Moran | Gleann Bui Farm | We have hawthorn trees over 60 years old. We have thick hedgerows of them that come alive every year! Please don't let them be destroyed like the Ash tree. |
| Claire Redmond | Attinkee Farm | This is not a risk we should be taking. Fully support reinstating Irish provenance and suspending imports. It’s not all about the money, minister. |
| Ger O'Halloran | Our hedgerows are absolute vital havens of biodiversity that need to be protected. | |
| Thomas Howley | Please stop import of hawthorn saplings from others countries ,also suspend flail cutting as it increases risk of spread immediately | |
| Siobhán McNamara | Bloomin' Crumlin | Please take action to prevent further damage to our hedgerows from fireblight. |
| Joan King | Importing problems costing the country and individuals | |
| Juliet Mullins | ||
| Declan Murphy | An Taisce | The risk to native Hawthorn from imported plants would be a catastrophic development. We imported ash dieback with appalling destruction of our native ash trees and risk repeating that disaster with hawthorn. |
| Nikki Clancy | ||
| Richard Doran-Sherlock | ||
| Bernadette Lacey | Soul Sanctuary | Please stop importing stocks of hawthorn which may be diseased with Fireblight, this is crucial to protect our native hedgerows Thank you Kind Regards, Bernadette Lacey |
| Kate B | ||
| GARY Stack | Please stop. | |
| Andrew Shinnick | IBA CLG | |
| Anneke O Connor | Feale Biodiversity | We are already loosing Ash due to imported dieback disease. Please don't run the rusk of loosing Hawthorn, cultivated apples and native crab apples by importing trees. There is no need, with a little patience nurseries can easily stock up on Irish provenance hawthorns |
| Féidhlim Harty | FH Wetland Systems ltd | There is no justifiable reason to import hawthorn, when we can simply take a little longer to establish sufficient supply here to meet Irish demand!! |
| eamonn merriman | We must not loose our native hedgerows - important for biodiversity and their aesthetic value. Imports of trees should be banned. | |
| Jennifer Rowe | Although there is an increased demand for native species it's important that plants are not imported with pathogens that will decimate native species. | |
| Andre Baumann | ||
| Finn O Carroll | Please take some action on fire light | |
| Paul Rosney | Ferbane Game Club | Native headgerows are essential to habitat and the Irish ecosystem. They need proper protection now. |
| Brian OCarroll | Now is the time to act. This disease could be devastating for Ireland's hedgerows. | |
| Marian Heelan | ||
| Peter O’Carroll | Please take action on Fireblight, thank you. | |
| Moya McGinley | This is a matter of great urgency! Please don’t delay in taking action. | |
| Clodagh McGreal | ||
| Miriam Sheerin | Whitethorn is such a precious part of our countryside that I can't imagine our landscape if we lose it. And losing it through inaction or turning a blind eye would be easy, please don't do the easy thing. | |
| rob nesbit | niea | Hawthorn is our national hedge row treasure. Spread of fire blight needs to be stopped. |
| John Tierney | ||
| Maria Purcell | Private concerned citizen | shocking this petition has to be created to influence what self preservation should dictate, spread of disease has potential to be rapid & fatal, contractor hedge cutting can spread this rapidly across localities decimating hedgerows across the country. Too late to sort when damage has been done! |
| Martin Conroy | We have already destroyed our native Ash with imported trees. Current grant schemes are destroying hedgerows that have survived for hundreds of years. | |
| Niall Baitson | Stop the madness please | |
| Dr. Allan Mee | Stop the importation of Hawthorn and other trees and their use in ACRES, an environmental programme that may inadvertently assist the spread of fireblight by using imported stock. Mandate the use of native and locally sourced trees to prevent the decimation of our native hedgerows | |
| Adam F. Smith | University of Freiburg | Invasive species and plant pests are avoidable biosecurity issues. Better joined up thinking about imports and provenance of stock is vital! |
| Owen Donnelly | Not enough public information or engagement about this devastating issue. Ash dieback all of over again. Why are controls to stop this not properly implemented. Do your job or create a department that can. | |
| Louise Overy | ||
| Ann Browne | It would be catastrophic for our entire countryside, wildlife and culture if our headgerows are destroyed. We cannot stand back and let disease after disease effect our native trees. Research and interventions are quickly needed. Please urgently allocate funds. | |
| David Foley | Hedgerows Ireland | Due to inadequate, short rotation policies and a lack of care in effective governance, our already heavily damaged habitats are being put at needless risk from disease. I believe we have a duty to protect our environment, and that underlies everything else. I do not want to see our country's ecological wealth further harmed. Thank for the work ye do. |
| Maria Young | Spaces for Health | Stop importing "native" trees that endanger our indigenous stock. We can grow our own species in tree nurseries, there is no need to import |
| Jerilyn Ingram | ||
| Vanessa Mack | Rathangan Tidy Towns | |
| Thomas Quirke | Ash trees are dying due to terrible decisions in the past. Let’s please not repeat past mistakes and destroy what is left of our biodiversity. | |
| Ulick O'Sullivan | I want to stop the import of non native plants to Ireland, due to the possibility of them containing diseases. | |
| Barbara Hamill | ||
| Anne McCartney | Action is required to prevent the spread of this disease and save our hedges and trees that are at risk. | |
| Paul Campbell | Newgrange Honey | |
| Marie Power | ||
| Alice Mc Govern | ||
| Lavena Campbell | ||
| MARGARET GERRARD | Everything possible must be done to protect what hedgerows we have left. More than enough of them lost or vandalized already. | |
| Marie Gordon | I support this open letter to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - to call attention to the importance of implementing the recommended measures to tackle fireblight in Ireland as a matter of urgency. Our shared biodiversity crisis is linked to this and the wide climate change issue and requires immediate attention. | |
| Michael Keyes | ||
| Séighean Ó Draoi | Ban importing all plants that can bring in disease. Fund new nurseries to grow from native seed. | |
| Deirdre Fitzsimons | This is so critically important, in a biodiversity crisis, to protect our native trees from imported disease | |
| Cathal Murray | ||
| Bridget McGovern | Please support | |
| Josephine Culleton | ||
| Geraldine Cussen | Your legislation needs rethinking doesn't it | |
| Ger Walsh | ||
| Heather Keith | ||
| John Cussen | Hedgerows are important to me and to the biodiversity of our environment. | |
| Catherine Rice | Our beautiful habitats need to be protected before its too late. | |
| David Little | Citizen | Action must be taken to protect our trees and hedgerows. Now. |
| Diarmaid Kennedy | Because if fireblight takes hold in this country it will be an Ecological disaster. Enough said. | |
| Brian McMahon | We must do everything in our power to avoid importing any further diseases into our country which could decimate our hedgerows and trees | |
| Paul Donohue | ||
| Pat Harrold | ||
| Therese O'Reilly | Amdocs Ireland Green Team | Our biodiversity is in crisis. Hedgerows are an intricate part of the overall health of our biodiversity. |
| bernardine hanratty | None | Our plant heritage cannot be left undefended. Hedgerows support biodiversity. Without them we all will suffer. |
| James Carton | DCU | Elm is gone, ash is gone, don't allow hawthorn or oak to disappear from our culture |
| Kim Eustsce | We need to protect our hedgerows, use native saplings and stop importing altogether…the hedgerows are under pressure as it is, being hacked the way they are, they need to be protected and managed much better | |
| Johana Vankova | How could this be allowed? After what happened with Ash trees?? | |
| Colm Moloney | ||
| Mary Reynolds | we are the Ark. www.wearetheark.org | We need you to step up and have some sense of morality. Nature has already collapsed here. There is another way. |
| Tara Lyons | I support this open letter to prevent the further destruction of hedgerows and increased environmental damage if fireblight spreads | |
| Pat McDonald | Ballagh Gun Club | I would not like to see the native hedge rows destroyed. |
| Fiona Prendeville | ||
| Ellen O’Carroll | ||
| Conor Mc Donald | Our hedgerows are already under enough pressure and threat without fireblight. Time to protect the remaining hedgerows and recognise them as part of our heritage | |
| Denise Ní Fhiaich | A Aire The devastation caused by Ash dieback disease surely must alert your department to the danger of further plant disease importation. Please take urgent action. Is mise le meas Denise | |
| Brigid Smith | ||
| Matthew Phelan | NARGC | Keep our Irish hedges IRISH |
| Terry Mc Cahey | Because accredited specialists in this field are asking and begging me to sign it and pass the word on. These are people experts in their field trying to wake the blind politicians to what they are doing to Irelands flora and fauna. Please listen to the experts not the money trail. | |
| John Kennedy | There is a biodiversity emergency in Ireland. In our hedgerows we have lost our elm, we are losing our ash, and imports of non-native oak (containing processionarry moth) and non-native hawthorn are now threatening these iconic species in our landscape. We must take the above practical steps to try and protect what native biodiversity remains for future generations. | |
| Michael Phelan | ||
| Anne Brown | Learning in Harmony with Donkeys | So important to have native produce for hedging. Its a disgrace that this was not planned for in accordance with the Hedge planting schemes that are currently in place. |
| Suzanne Quirke | I support this letter fully, because it seeks to protect our native hedgerow species. | |
| Zita Flatley | ||
| Lorna Halligan | ||
| Therese Scanlon | This is not just a threat to one specie. Biodiversity,is the interaction between a wide range of flora and fauna, this is very simplified. At this stage we have an opportunity to control the spread of fire blight. Don't miss this opportunity. What is DAFMs plan for managing this if it does take hold in Ireland. And at whatcost? | |
| Aine Wynne | It is vital to protect our hedgerows. | |
| Dan Nickström | ||
| Colette Gemmell | Friends of Castle Lake and Catchment | The threat that this fireblight has for our hedgerows is a real worry, if our hedgerows get affected and have to be destroyed imagine the effect that will have on our nesting birds and wildlife in general. Our organisation is all about preserving wildlife and the improvement of water quality. |
| Janet Sheehy | The prospect of losing our iconic hedgerow hawthorn trees is heartbreaking. It beggars belief that, after the disaster of ash dieback which was introduced by imported saplings hawthorns carrying fireblight have been imported. Why was this allowed to happen? | |
| Joan Casey | Please act early | |
| Siobhan Jordan | ||
| DEIRDRE Ocarroll | I support this open letter because the native trees that are affected by fireblight are crucial to irelands natural and cultural heritage. | |
| Eoin Wynne | Too many of our native trees under threat from imported diseases and pests. | |
| Attracta Madden | This blight is potentially an environmental disaster. Take all possible measures to block imports of non native trees. The major nurseries must be prevented from reimporting young saplings sent to Europe to germinate then re imported carrying the disease. | |
| Darragh Wynne | ||
| James McGarry | ||
| Trish Gannon | Na | Stopping practice of importing diseased / disease carrying plants should be prioritised over destroying our native plants to deal with this disease. It's akin to using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.Please reconsider your strategy in this instance |
| Noelle Ameijenda | Hello, There should be no necessity to import tree saplings on to our island. We should be producing our own native trees. There needs to be more forward planning to prevent the importation of disease. Thank you. | |
| Colm Scully | ||
| Kevin Duffy | This is a critical intervention. | |
| Mary Murphy | I feel the minister for agriculture must act now, to prevent the spread of fireblight. | |
| Sophie Dr Cacciaguidi-Fahy | We built our home in a natural copse and kept the original ash trees and whitethorns. We have lost over 16 trees in the last 3 years. I would be devastated to loose centenary whitethorns. It is time some sort of regulations at put in place for entry to ireland to preserve its natural heritage | |
| Hannah Mole | ||
| caroline kuyper | extinction rebellion Inishowen | please not another ash die back disaster being risked by imports! protect our native hawthorn |
| Anthea Lacchia | Please act to save our hedgerows | |
| Niall Casement | An easily preventable threat. Please let us learn from past mistakes that have decimated our populations of ash, elm, horse chestnut and larch, and don't let Hawthorn join this list. Given the rising number of pathogen threats to our native trees, continuing to allow unrestricted (& unvetted) imports can only lead to further bad outcomes (& waste taxpayers' money) | |
| Sean Treacy | Loughrea gun club | We need our hedges for our wild birds it's enough having the ash dying |
| Phil Kearney | An Taisce | |
| Joanne Hession | ||
| Barry Cunningham | ||
| Lee O'Brien | Save our hedgerows | |
| Barney Austen | I support this letter for the simple reason that it seeks to protect our native hedgerow species. There is no reason to continue to facilitate imports over the use of “home grown” saplings for hedgerow creation. | |
| Fergal Hassett | Hedgerows Ireland | I support this open letter because as a degree qualified Microbiologist I know that strict quarantine is needed to exclude imported diseases such as this, so robust phytosanitary regulation with the suspension of importation of hawthorn especially from high risk countries is needed. |
| John Jackie O'Connor | Please stop the import of plants that spread fireblight | |
| mary dineen | ||
| Adam Maryniak | To protect hedgerows | |
| Myles Mccarrick | Why import when local nurseries or programs supporting growers should be the priority. | |
| Norma O Neill | Private | I hope this helps to support the cause. |
| Geraldine Morrow | Please act now to protect our hawthorn hedges | |
| Cathleen O'Neill | It is so important to protect our native species. Hawthorn is easy to propogate from haws from existing trees. This is what should be encouraged instead of importing non-native plants. | |
| Peter O'Connor | The hawthorn is fundamental to the Irish hedgerow, indeed to the very essence of the Irish landscape. It must be protected. | |
| Lauren Tanner | ||
| Rob Heffernan | ||
| Noel Cl | Stop import hawthorn from out side of Ireland in fear of disease | |
| Elaine Haskins | ||
| Pauline Cleary | I am very concerned about the imporation of haw thorn hedging and the serious conquences for our biodiversity | |
| John Graham | The ash die back has been a sad lingering saga, soon to leave the historic Ash to the history books. Now we see a new bacteria coming towards us please please organize the troops to contain and eradicate the disease not the hedges | |
| Mary Cleary | ||
| JACK TANNER | Student | Please protect our Hedgerows and the future biodiversity that is reliant on them. |
| Paul Tanner | Lets not have a repeat of the Ash Dieback debacle | |
| Elizabeth Margaret Stewart | Msc Student in UCD | Open Letter to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the Risk of Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) from Hawthorn Imports for ACRES. Dear Minister McConalogue, We are writing to you regarding the risk of Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight) from Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) imports for ACRES. Ireland is still managing the fallout from Ash Dieback, which was most likely introduced through |
| Claire Mulligan | Can we please learn from the mistakes made with Ash dieback? It's beyond belief that we're repeating the errors of the past only this time with fireblight and hawthorn. | |
| Fionnuala Barrett | Kingfisher oroject | Please stop all imports of hawthorn |
| BarrySean McLaughlin | Earth Action Hub | Protection for our hedgerows |
| John McLaughlin | Inch Partridge Project | Protect our hedgerows |
| Kathy Hallinan | Fully support the sentiments in the open letter | |
| Barry McLaughlin | Inch Gun club | Protect our hedgerows |
| Joan Lennon | INTO | Our hedgerows need protection. They are vital in the world of nature |
| Tommy Hayes | More shortsighted policy decisions | |
| Mimi Crawford | Crawford's Farm Ltd | Protect native plants at all costs. |
| Joe Odwyer | ||
| Emer Walsh | I’d like to see our native hedgerows maintained, potentially bringing in this disease puts them at risk. | |
| Anne O'Sullivan | I am deeply concerned for the health of what little Hedgerows we have left. I hope we can prevent the potentially disastrous outcome of introducing this disease to Ireland. | |
| Una Fannon | ||
| Bridget Walsh | This is a severe danger to many of our beloved native trees. Stop the importation of hawthorn plants. | |
| Barry McKenna | Arboriculture Apprenticeship | We have been here before with ash dieback. Let’s not repeat the same mistakes. |
| Amy Douglas | ||
| Michael Parks | I am very concerned with the state of our biodiversity in Ireland, as our hedgerows are a major habitat for a host of flora and fauna. It is vital that they are protected for future generations. | |
| John O'Driscoll | KRGWC | . |
| Sally Finn-Kelcey | ||
| Catherine Ryan | Friends of Castle Lake and Catchment Area | I want to make sure all our native trees are protected from the terrible disease, so all our trees, plants, wildlife and insects can trive. |
| Liam Ward | The protection of our nations hedgerows is an obligation which must be carried out. | |
| John Stephens | ||
| Steve Bass | Hedgerows Ireland | To create awareness and help prevent the spread of the disease |
| Robert Fell | The hawthorn is a symbol of the Irish countryside and to put it at risk like this is completely irresponsible. The provedence of trees and shrubs used in any farm scheme or similar project should absolutely be an important factor in eligibility for the scheme. Elm and ash are two reasons we should know better than this. | |
| Jenny Watkins | ||
| Jack Matthews | Louth Regioal Game Council | We need to encourage more healthy hedges to support our birds and ildlife |
| Anne Byrne | We need to urgently stop hedgerow destruction in all forms - irresponsible imports and irresponsible cutting back. Bring in a nationwide ban on roadside hedge massacres. | |
| David Barry | Import of diseases & pests is having a detrimental effect on our hedges and trees. It is foolish to carry on doing it without proper consideration of the effect. We need to use our commonsense in dealing with it going forward. The decision cannot be driven by financial thinking, profit/cheaper now will be disastrous for the future. Thanks, David B | |
| Ann Lynch | I support this open letter to stop the importation of hawthorn which can carry the disease known as Fireblight and promote the growing of our native Irish Hawthorn. | |
| Marina L | I am concerned for the health of the Hawthorn hedgerows! They need to be protected from harm. If there is any risk of disease, this needs to be prevented ASAP. | |
| Enric Muniente | ||
| Anita HAYES | Firelight was not in these shores until very recently, it must be stopped before it does more damage, particularly to our orchards | |
| Eoin Mac Lochlainn | Hx Grow | |
| Cintia Kennedy | Living in Countryside | Please stop importing Hawthorn hedging. The government were advised that importing this it will endanger our native hedging. The government did not listen and now our hedgerow is in danger. Wake up and take the correct action and take responsibility |
| James Dooley | Please let us not repeat the mistakes made in relation to Ash Die-back again this time with Fire Blight. The impact will be far more devastating. As a farmer, who has invested years in planting, maintaining and nurturing biodiversity, especially hedgerows on my farm, I dont see how we will have any hope left for nature if this materialises | |
| Noreen Buttimer | In a biodiversity crisis every effort possible should be made to avoid further loss of nature. | |
| Tom Johnson | ||
| Anita Dunlea | Newbridge Tidy Towns | Help save our hedgerows |
| Jenny Stein | Please preserve our hedgerows and desist on the importation of infected species | |
| Alexander Nyirenda | ||
| Brendan Keane | ||
| Meghan Carroll | ||
| Sandie ONeill | Newbridge Tidy Towns | |
| Aurora Planells Bernat | The wellbeing of our environment is very important to me and I wish for the due efforts to take place | |
| Bernadette Mccarthy | ||
| Angela Jennings | ||
| Barry Lynch | ||
| Catriona Rooney | Personal | Please stop the importation of hawthorn plants right away & preserve our countryside. |
| Nicole Lanphier | ||
| Orla O'Flanagan | Concerned member of the public | One of my favourite times of the year. The hawthorn blossom. |
| Declan McKenna | I have plenty of Hawthorne planted on my land and don't want to see it die as it is integral to my hedges that house many creatures. | |
| Paul Cummings | ||
| Tim Long | Green sod ireland | |
| John Doran | Please act to avoid further damage to our environement. | |
| Jackie Rasmus | We need to stop the importation of trees and plants that are a risk to our native trees and shrubs and wildlife | |
| Elaine Urquhart | ||
| Niall Sheil | Maynooth University | The protection of our hedges around the country is very important, to me. Indeed, one could argue tjat hedges are part of our cultural heritage, and historical significant to if we remember the stories of 'hedge schools. Primarily though, hedges are homes to vast sways of birds, animal, rodents, insects and biodiversity multiplers. So please treat them with respect, please. |
| Yosef Dvores | Everyone is aware of the devastation of the ash die back. We need to control this ASAP | |
| Conor McNally | ||
| Therese Dunne | ||
| Mary Rice | Please please, stop the importation of any plant species that are native to this country. This is the only way to stop or minimise the importation of diseases that could impact our native plants. | |
| R Graham | like any invasive species, once introduced that's that. There is no going back, regardless. Changing our native green lands etc is not acceptable under any guise or form. We strongly object. | |
| Colm Hackett | ||
| Tom Jordan | Macroom and District Environment Group | How did unqualified bureaucrats get the power to decide what plants are safe to import into Ireland? This was predictable and preventable. DAFM knew they'd be incentivising hedgerow planting but failed to notify nurseries. We must stop all imports now and place an embargo on already imported plants. |
| Sean Byrne | Irish Hawthorn grower | As an Irish grower of hawthorn plants in the north east. Can the government not promote the growing of Irish grown plants. In my area at one time, as many as twenty people in north Meath were growing hawthorn back then. Unfortunately this is down to a handful of growers at the present time. |
| ASHRAF EL SHERBINY | 0(89) 950 5757 | |
| Killian Bannon | ||
| Michael Keaveney | Farmer | If Fireblight was to spread around the country it would have devastating effect on our hedgerows. I would be effected greatly as most of my field boundaries are made up of hedgerows containing mostly whitethorn trees . |
| Andrew Court | ||
| Maeve Connolly | ||
| John Lawler | ||
| Sean Mc Govern | Firearms united network Ireland | Thanks to Govt shortsightedness over the years. We have Dutch Elm disease, Ash dieback,possibly monetary pine bark beetle in Co Clare, and now to finish it off, fireblight.ALL could be avoided by stringent Dept of Agriculture checks of all imports of plants into Ireland. Or simply prohibiting imports unless they are certified as being disease and pest-free from fromthesupplycountrygrowers. |
| Niall O’Brien | ||
| Marian Lee | Farmer | As I watch Ash trees being cut down it’s so sad to think it could be hedges next. No it has to stop |
| May Heeran | we can grow our own - disease free stop all imports urgently. | |
| Ann Menton | Important for biodiversity/ecology to have disease free planting of our native hedging. And trees . | |
| Ann Behan | ||
| Sarah Carey | Irish Independent | I planted a hawthorn hedge 20 years ago. It’s outrageous the hedges have been put at risk by imported species. I also planted 200 ash trees and they are nearly all dead now. Please act NOW. |
| Mary Molloy | ||
| Patricia Voon | Sallins Biodiversity Group | We support more strict regulations on the importation of plants in Ireland and a push towards prioritising native species. |
| Hannah Little | ||
| Gabrielle Machnik-Kekesi | ||
| Esther Esther Rodriguez | N.A. | |
| Audrey Walshe | ||
| Christopher Fox | Please address this issue as soon as possible. We have Rowan, Cotoneaster, pear and apple trees in our estate and we would hate to have to remove them. | |
| Laura Merren | ||
| John Cashman | Newbridge Tidy Towns | Minister please look into this issue. Thank You John Cashman |
| Breda Reid | Ryston Sports and Social Club | Please address this problem asap. Our hedgerows are part of who we are. |
| Sinead Marshall | Theres no need to import hawthorn or any native saplings and with them foreign diseases, set up growing schemes teaching participants in all the green / agriculture / forestry schemes to show people how to propagate / grow their own saplings | |
| Peter Munro | Left unchecked, fireblight could decimate the hawthorn hedgerows that are a vital refuge for wildlife and an iconic part of Ireland's landscape. The Department of Agriculture needs to act. | |
| Laura Ward | ||
| Sandra Egan | Private individual | Biodiversity and ecosystem |
| Mary O’Keeffe | I fully support this. Protect our hawthorn with all its ecological benefits. It’s an integral part of our culture and our environment. Surely we can grow our own without importing trouble. | |
| Robert Pearson | Can you please stop the importation of trees and plants that are a risk to our native trees and shrubs. | |
| Louisa Earls | ||
| Diarmuid O’Crowley | Please don’t destroy our countryside any more have we not learned from ash die back | |
| Anthony Nannix | Critical to protect our Hawthorn. | |
| Carmel Darcy | NA | I would ask the Minister to be aware of this risk to our hedgerows and to act on the knowledge acquired to stop the spread. |
| Eithne MacMahon | Urgent action is needed Now! | |
| Phelim Molloy | ||
| Pat Rooney | ||
| Siobhan Hackett | I'd like to see native plants being prioritised for many reasons - this is a good example of one. | |
| Patrick Earls | Irish Doctors for the Environment | The hawthorn is one our most iconic natural treasures, clinging to our traumatised landscapes, signalling hope. |
| Assumpta Laffey | We are planting more trees which is very encouraging. What a shame if they are destroyed by firelight. We need to ban imports right now. | |
| Áine Lawless | ||
| Aisling Shanahan | We have so few native trees we need to protect them as best we can, for biodiversity and for carbon sequestration | |
| Anne Morrisson | As qualified horticulturalist, I am highly aware of the oncoming devastation of our hedgerows. We already seem to be fighting a loosing battle to retain sufficient flora to hold our fauna. Fireblight will decimate a fragile system. | |
| Lucille Redmond | The hawthorn hedges of Ireland are our ancient heritage - the reverence for them is shown by reluctance to cut down "fairy trees", showing the need to keep safe these trees and bushes, easily rooted from cuttings and a traditional source of vitamins C and B, one of the great beauties of Ireland with their frothy cream-coloured blossoms in spring. | |
| Matthew Coghlan | ||
| Cian Dowd | ||
| Michael Greene | ||
| heike vornhagen | ||
| John Jobson | Early intervention is essential. Application of a mixture of washing soda and copper sulphate at the right percentages will kill the blight.q | |
| Seán Golden | ||
| Philip Stack | If this disease isn't halted, it will kill and result in the removal of a large proportion of our hedgerows. These are unlikely to be replaced, accelerating the current trend of hedgerow loss and decimating the habitat available to wildlife in large areas of the country. | |
| Frances Giaquinto | Ecological Research and Practice | |
| Brian Hughes | Headford environment group | |
| Martin Conroy | Protect biodiversity by planting Irish grown trees and hedging. | |
| Noreen Conroy | Stop importing trees and hedging plants which can easily be grown by our own fantastic nurseries here in Ireland. Look what is happening to our lovely ash trees and now our oaks. | |
| Janet Laffey | Green Sod Ireland | Fireblight would destroy our hedgerows and the miles of habitat and diversity that they support. Please stop the importation of trees, our children will be left with a desolate, utterly changed landscape if we don't. |
| Jacqueline Teegarden | ||
| Declan McPhillips | I support this open letter because we should be able to grow our own. | |
| Christine Kiefer | ||
| Dymphna Cullen | Taxpayer and voter | We have experience of the damage that invasive flora and fauna can do. Please do not let our unpatriotic farmers score such an own goal. |
| Aideen Mooney | Nature Corridors Glendree | The hedgerows are crucial nature corridors. |
| Lesley MERRIMAN | ||
| Michelle Keary | Please take urgent action to curtail this blight. We cannot have the same disaster as with Ash Dieback. An immediate public information campaign across all media is a must. | |
| Freda Hanley | ||
| Paul Cloonan | NARGC | |
| Claudette Hales | To think we might lose that wonderful early Summer experience of dewy cow parsley rising to meet the glorious blossoms of our May bush. What a loss that would be . Yet another blow to our balance of nature. | |
| Mary Tubridy | If fireblight affects hawthorn we can say goodbye to our hedgerows | |
| Lorcan Murphy | It is imperative that we stop the spread of Fireblight to save our landscape and our wild life. | |
| Zoë Gough | Ireland's hedgerows are of crucial importance to our biodiversity and heritage, and should be protected at all costs. | |
| Joe Kelly | Take action before our landscapes are devastated by fire blight, which it preventable | |
| Laura-Blaise McDowell | Ireland s hedgerows are an invaluable and crucial resource for biodiversity and heritage and need to be protected. | |
| Fionnuala O'Neill | Ecologist | |
| Carol Ann Rooney | ||
| Eva Bartelink | Farming | We have had enough deprivation from ash dieback. Please don't make us go through another major biodiversity failure again. |
| Katherine Kelliher | ||
| Gillian O’Connor | I support this to stop the spread of fireblight | |
| Damian Howard | Myshall Nature | Let's not go the way of the Ash. A proactive approach is what's needed to protect our native species. |
| Colette Rooney | May in Ireland without the hawthorn - unimaginable. | |
| Katharine Woods | ||
| Susanna Kalbermatten | The importation of trees from countries affected by the fireblight disease most stop. The import of ash trees was continued knowing the trees were imported from countries affected. All ash trees on my land are dead or dying. Many beeing massive trees. It sickens my every day. | |
| Grainne Tynan | ||
| Marie rooney | I love hawthorn. It's an integral part of our landscape. When our son died and was buried in a natural burial ground, we chose a hawthorn to be planted at the head of his grave. | |
| Sean Redmond | South Dublin County Council | |
| Mona Muller | As a farming for nature Ambassador, ISSA seed grower and farming 130acres of SPA land I am deeply concerned about the importation of Whitethorn quicks and the associated danger of introduction of fire blight into our native hedge rows and orchards! A longer time frame of hedge plantings of the acres scheme would eliminate the supply pressure | |
| Patrick Finn | NARGC | It does not make sense to be destroying hedgerows or gorse as these are very valuable to the wildlife and all nesting birds |
| Orla Daly | ||
| Susan McGovern | Upsetting to see so many hedgerows cut down to make way for garden fencing beside our holiday home in Fethard on Sea, Wexford. | |
| Maria Rogers | Our biodiversity is already on a knife edge. We must do all we can to prevent this from spreading. | |
| Joanne Breton | Please can we minimise the importation of plants, and rather grow seedlings here for planting. | |
| Darina Allen | Ballymaloe Cookery School | Hedgerows are a vital part of our eco system and so enhance the beauty of our countryside and birdlife… last year’s whitethorn blossoms and crop of haws was the best and most beautiful I ever remember… plus this tree is deeply connected to our Irish folklore.. let’s do what we can to save them… 💚☘️💚 |
| Richard Ryan | ||
| Rob Durie | Importation of hedges, trees and other plants has devestated our landscape. Poor importation control is to blame. It also reduces the survival of indigenous nurseries. | |
| Suzanne Young | Our hedgerows are of vital importance for many reasons and we need to protect them from the spread of disease as we should with any organism. Unless imported plants can be tested and verified as being clear of disease they should not be imported into the country. We do this with animals all the time. | |
| Eamonn Howe | ||
| Terri Nagib | Middle Way Wellness | Hedgerows are a vital part of our environment, ecosystem and essential for the continuation of wildlife, flora and fauna all across the country. With so much of the rest of our environment being destroyed, this is a simple and effective way to play a huge role towards ensuring the survival of our beautiful countryside |
| Natasha Page-Wood | The Gentle Travel Guide | I support growing + planting genuine native species to avoid plant diseases from imports |
| John J Mulhare | Agri-Advice Ltd | Forcing farmers in ACRES to plant their hedges using imported planting material is almost guaranteed to lead to the destruction of our natural hedgrows which are of immense environmental, historical and cultural benefit to our island. Ash die back, dutch elm disease, box blight and blackgrass are just some examples of what has already happened within our ecosystem |
| Carol Healy | ||
| Judy Dunwoody | We can stop this now. Fire blight does not have to be inevitable. | |
| Colette Murray | ||
| Val Whelan | Common Ground Edible Bray | Please take action! |
| Jane Doughty | Bio-security vital. Hawthorn grows well here so imports not necessary. Support and protect our existing native biodiverisity and stop removing old hedgerows and replacing with imported plants. Species that can be cultivated in Ireland with native stock reducing risk of pests and diseases and supporting local growers is SIMPLE COMMON SENSE! | |
| Ruth C | Our hedgrows are precious and vital for all kinds of bugs, bees and wildlife. They should be protected without doubt. Simple screening and proper enforcement seems like the most basic form of protection necessary. | |
| Damien McGovern | Are bare root trees imported carriers and can you check for the disease in such plants. How do we know which nurseries are NOT importing but growing native instead. | |
| Lorraine O'dwyer | Gallivanting Tours | |
| Eithne Gallagher | ||
| Mary Ahern | Our hedgerows are critical to support biodiversity which is already under threat. | |
| Siobhan Galloway | The continuing destruction of mature trees and the natural environment in Ireland is disturbing. Bad policy decisions and lack of implementation of protections that do exist for native trees and ecosystems is rife. | |
| Padraig Breen | NARGC | |
| Noel Fehin | Hedgerows are one of the few nature highlights of this island. Providing countless species with food and shelter, and need to be protected urgently. | |
| Irene Maguire | Member of One Future Dun Laoighre | We need our government to attend to the science & the experiences of relevant learnings elsewhere & take action in a timely & responsible manner to protect our environment & livelihoods. Thanx for highlighting this issue. |
| Sarah Carroll | ||
| Barry Hamilton | Grow Wild Garden Design | |
| Geraldine Sadler | Protect our native Irish hedgerows | |
| Julia Strickland | ||
| Mary Balfe | ||
| Conan Dynes | ||
| Ciarán Fahy | ||
| Eddie Roche | Stop importing diseased trees before it's to late. Look at ash dieback! | |
| Mary Sherlock | Solas Glan, Community Garden | Please do not let our hedgerows get destroyed by importing this disease. |
| Rosemary Rooney | Please protect our Hawthorn - an iconic & beautiful native species which alone supports 150 types of insect, as well as providing vital corridors for wildlife. Please learn from the mistakes which resulted in the devastation of our Ash tree population and stop all imports of Hawthorn immediately . | |
| Marie O’Dwyer | It is vital our biodiversity is protected. It is also vital for our own native Irish trees, shrubs and | |
| Thomas Reaney | Please Minister. You must do what ever it takes to halt the spread of this. | |
| Aine O Halloran | Please implement protective measures against the importation of diseased horticultural and agricultural species. | |
| Linda Lalor | Mixed Native Garden Hedge owner | Walking around the countryside I've seen so many trees I knew in my childhood disappear or come under threat from disease and it really makes me so sad ,especially for the next generations. I'm putting my name to this open letter in order to fight to save our beautiful countryside hedgerows and the wildlife they support, yours sincerely, Linda Lalor. |
| Caitlin Browne | To help protect our hedgerows. | |
| Turlough O’Donnell | Could we discuss the import of trees and shrubs into the island of Ireland in an adult but urgent way? Surely it should simply stop? Our oak, ash, wild cherry, hawthorn all so precious to us ? And the Market and its fetish of free movement vulgar in contrast. Not a respectable answer | |
| Amy Lynam | ||
| Deirdre Doyle | Permaculture Ireland | No more tree deaths through imported diseases!! |
| Margaret Ward | Hedgegrowsireland | |
| Karen Tierney | There are kilometres of native hedgerows on my family’s land. We’ve already lost the ash from the landscape, please prioritise whatever action is possible to save the hawthorn. | |
| Caroline D'Arcy | It doesn’t make any sense to import hawthorn or other hedgerow plants when we can easily plant whips from our own native plants. These could be provided when hedgerows are cut back instead of reducing everything to wood chips. We have seen the destruction caused by the introduction of other imported trees & plants so surely we’ve learned. | |
| Patrick Brennan | The Minister for Agriculture needs to stop the importation of foreign hawthorn plants brought about by the large demand following the introduction of the Acres scheme. As usual these schemes are hit with unrealistic deadlines and carried out over too short a timeframe. Lessons need to be learned from Ash dieback disease. | |
| Julie Smirnova | N/A | |
| Anne Pounds | Protecting native species and preventing the spread of disease is the responsibility of the “competent” “authority” . It is imperative that the requisite controls are put in place. | |
| Debbie ONeill | Two Mile House Biodiversity and Heritage Group | |
| Vinnie Monaghan | ||
| Sharon McCabe | Please don’t allow hawthorn to go the way of ash. | |
| Linda Gilsenan | Private | Fireblight will destroy our hedgerow system, one of the last habitats for wildlife. I am against the importation of any native tree stock because of the risk of invasive tree diseases. It would be better to plant nothing now and allow the Irish nurseries a few years to propagate stick. Please don't allow it under acres. |
| Elida Maiques | Hawthorn can be grown from cuttings, many community gardens do it. Support local tree nurseries and have a strong biosecurity system. | |
| Robert Grandon | Individual | We seem to be unable to prevent and protect from imported plant diseases. Our record in this regard is truly awful. We are losing our Ash trees to Dieback. We must protect our equally important hawthorns by insisting on native provenance when it comes to planting native hedgerows. |
| Kathy Merrins | Two Mile House Biodiversity and Heritage Group | |
| Janice Leonard | ||
| Niamh Young | Please take actual meaningful action to address the importation of diseased stock before our beautiful hawthorn is added to the list of native species that have been failed by inadequate controls | |
| Ruth Browne | ||
| Eleanor Wauchob | The importance of hedgerows for biodiversity means we must do everything possible to avoid the risk of introducing diseases such as fireblight. | |
| Niall Mulligan | We must do everything we can to protect our hedgerows | |
| Ruth Murphy | The Irish Ramblers club | Please take heed of this letter. We don't want the fate of Ash to befall our hawthorn or any other species. |
| Mayte Gonzalez | To protect Irish native nature | |
| Brendan Mangan | The State needs to protect our native hedgerows from imported diseases. | |
| Colm Byrne | Hedgerows need our protection. We are ecologically devastated as a nation and they represent a final refuge of wildlife in most of our countryside. | |
| Danny Kilcullen | ||
| Helico Di Pipistrello | Beagh Rare Plants Nurseries | We would appreciate your attention to this problem please! Kind regards! HP |
| Deirdre Lane | ShamrockSpring | We have a delicate young eco system and need to protect the limited species we have as an island. Please lets take due care of out existing Hedgerows and examine the importation of new potentially harmful pathogens. |
| Cian Flaherty | ||
| Suzanne Murphy | Naas Biodiversity Group | Hi this an urgent matter that could become catastrophic for Irelands hedgerows if not actioned as soon as possible. |
| Eilish Cramer | Our hedgerows are a unique part of our heritage.they are vital for our wildlife and biodiversity.we mustprotect them | |
| Ronan Mac Giollapharaic | ||
| Niamh Fitzgibbon | ||
| Eamonn McLoughlin | Hedgerows Ireland | Asking the minister to act immediately to stop the spread of fireblight in Ireland |
| Colma Nic Niallais | I feel that we should be doing all we can to protect our native flora and fauna species. | |
| Nigel Oakes | The loss of the beauty of Hawthorne and Rowan trees will represent a significant degradation of our landscape and environment. | |
| Paul Colville | ||
| Adam Nugent | We are still dealing with the terrible ramifications of ash dieback, another disease thought to have been brought here through imported trees. We must endeavour to stop the importing of trees infected with fireblight so that nature can have a fighting chance in Ireland | |
| Herbert Farrell | INRBS and organic island farmer on Lough Ree | Stop every and all potential and confirmed threats to all our native flora and fauna. |
| Paul Rumgay | Sorry! It’s bleedin obvious. | |
| Niall McDowell | ||
| David Nash | Yet another example of the State 'speaking' with a forked tongue. On one hand there is endless rhetoric associated with forums, biodiversity and protection of the environment yet there absence of control to prevent the importation of infected organisms e.g. infected Ash, Zebra Mussel and more recently tree bark without being sterilised. Conclusion is that politicians and "enforcers" are duplicitous/incompetent | |
| Imelda Byrne | We need to save our beautiful native trees from this dreadful disease | |
| Paul Carberry | Save Wicklows Ancient East | A Hawthorn tree can live for up to 400 years-who in DAFM considers the long term effects of the hasty decision to import potentially fatal tree diseases. The Ash the Elm and Oak already damaged and endangered by DAFM’s reckless disregard for our native tree species. |
| Chiara lane | ||
| David Russell | Woodhouse Dairy Farms Ltd | We need to protect our native hawthorn which is a vital part of most of our hedgerows. We cannot let this disease be imported into the country like ash dieback has been. It will destroy our hedgerows and have a profoundly negative impact on our biodiversity. |
| Michelle O'Brien | This is a serious issue please take notice. | |
| Liam Flanagan | ||
| Sean Carroll | Crazy importing trees we can grow in ireland, ruined the ash when will it stop | |
| Oliver Kierse | We’ve already lost our elms, and are in the process of losing our ash. Now it’s going to be the hawthorn and related species. DAFM and their predecessors have been utterly ineffectual in putting any worthwhile protections in place, partIcularly around nursery plant importations. | |
| Una Oboyle | ||
| niamh ryder | ||
| Ruth Minogue | Minogue and Associates | |
| Richard Cronin | ||
| Bairre MacDomhnaill | I believe ineptitude and incompetence by Government and Government bodies have allowed enough foreign diseases into our country. | |
| Treasa Keegan | It's about time this government stopped paying so much attention to big business and started looking after our natural heritage. Shame on them for making communities assert this over and over a Ross the country. | |
| Tom Geraghty | Because I care...and more people should. It's important we all are educated and learn about our responsibilities | |
| Aidan Lawless | Irish Hedgerows | |
| Frank Rooney | Public | We should be learning from the mistakes of the past, e.g. what happened with imported ash trees and the diseases that were allowed to spread and have killed so many of our ash trees. We can't let the same happen to the hawthorn. |
| Alison Stokes | ||
| Lucy Taylor | It concerns me deeply that yet another disease related to imported plants is going to damage our fragile and extremely important hedgerows. Ireland needs to urgently step up production in fully native nurseries that use only locally sourced seeds, increase its biosecurity measures where imports are necessary, and value our native, local flora. | |
| Suzie Miller | Hedgerows are a vital part of the ecological cycle within Ireland. They should be protected at all costs and I believe the measures proposed will achieve this. | |
| Birgit Kollmann | Please ban imports of foreign grown trees and hedging and support growers of native hedging to prevent the spread of fireblight. | |
| Gwen Boyle | ||
| Colette Hickey | South kildare Beekeepers | We need to protect our Native Black Bees |
| Tom Tierney | Farmer | Don’t let this into Ireland on your watch! Bad enough we have ash dieback |
| Gwen Boyle | ||
| Robert Hogg | Hedgrows Ireland | Don't import any trees or hedging and protect our native Hedgerows. The department needs to wake up and stop adding fuel to the fire. !!!!! |
| Lucy Jenkins | ||
| Lorna EVERS | ||
| Jennifer O Shaughnessy | ||
| Eamonn Dillon | ||
| David Cotter | ||
| Amelia Raben | Amelia’s Garden Flowers | |
| Mike C | ||
| Una McGrath | Private landowner | Please support the request below |
| Gerry Fitzsimons | ||
| Jenny Maloney | I don’t want to see what has happened to our beloved native Ash happen to our native hawthorn too. Stop the import! | |
| Ciarán Brady | ||
| Sinead Wall | Please help to eradicate fireblight, our hedgerows are of utmost importance. | |
| Trish Farrell | Please, Minister and Department, don’t let this opportunity pass! Act fast and don’t delay! We’ve let this kind of hazard cause havoc too many times before! | |
| Jim Malone | Safeguarding our native plants and trees is of paramount importance. Imports of similar plants from the EU needs to be very strictly regulated to avoid the spread of fire blight and other diseases. | |
| Rose Malone | ||
| Ann Butler | Kilcock Tidy Towns | Our island cannot afford any further devastation to our hedgerows and our few remaining habits. An immediate ban on importing stock and burning of all current imported stock to mitigate the risk is required. A national program to grow from seed of Irish providence/origin to future protect our island is a necessity. Ireland requires special island protection status versus EU. |
| Rita O'Sullivan | It is vital that we protect our native trees and plants and importing plants from the EU could greatly increase the spread of fireblight and other diseases. The highest level of vigilance is required by the minister for Agriculture. | |
| Mary Sinnott | - | I urge the DoAg to halt the importation of hedging plants due to concerns over the potential importation of further disease. It is also imperative that the Department reinstates the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirements for Hawthorn in ACRES hedgerow planting. |
| Anna Browne | Importing hawthorn is risky! Let’s not endanger our green island. | |
| Sarah Rubalcava | We are witnessing the destruction of our hedgerows from bad management to the loss of Ash trees. Fire blight is here and with the huge demand for native hedgerow species we must stop importing potentially diseased saplings. | |
| Lou McManmon | Please protect our hedgerows | |
| Conor O'Dea | ||
| Tadhg Fitzpatrick | As a farmer who has spent the last 10 years replanting hedges that were removed in the past on the farm and dealing with Ash dieback the last thing I need is the hawthorn getting the same treatment | |
| Matthew Berrill | Fireblight is a bacterial disease that may result in the removal of Ireland’s emblematic Hawthorn hedgerows if allowed to spread. Its other common host trees include apple, pear, rowan, and Cotoneaster. Symptoms include the withering of shoots and leaves (‘Shepherd’s Stick’), cankers, and bacterial ooze. There are no treatments for Fireblight. | |
| Clare Hamilton | Woodstown Village Wildlife | Please do all you can to support Irish nurseries and prevent importation of trees - and the myriad of pathogen and pests they carry that our native trees have no defense for. It defeats the purpose of afforestation if we risk loosing precise species through cutting corners. |
| Anna Larkin | Private person | I do not want what happened to our Ash trees repeated in our orchards |
| Gerald Larkin | Please stop importing hawthorn so not to risk our own hedgerows and orchards | |
| Thérèse Scanlon | Wicklowflowers | Completely unnecessary exposure to this in Ireland . Lack of regulation and follow through of health checks from DAFM. Knock on effect will be experienced by so many elements of our natural resources that we all depend on. |
| Val Payne | Kilcock SEC | |
| margaret moore | Former student organic college drumcollogher | Sow native seeds, stop importing disease risk |
| Richard Jacob | StyleBarn | Please stop importing Hawthorn. The Ash dieback catastrophe is wiping our woodlands, we do NOT need to wipe out our hedgerows too. Thank you. |
| Kieran Healy | South Kildare Beekeepers Association | With Ash trees already close to being wiped out in Ireland, putting our hawthorn in jeopardy doesn't bear contemplation. We must not import hawthorns but raise our own. |
| Lin Leo | DP SEC | We need NativeTreecover.Fireblight is a bacterial disease whose common hosts include Hawthorn, Cotoneaster. Fireblight is known to enter through latent infections on imported plants and is suited to our temperate climate. |
| Cllr Noel Cribbin | Offaly County Council | Save our beautiful hedgerows |
| Victor Brown | We need to keep our native species free from imported diseases | |
| Elizabeth Cullen | Feasta | Our biodiversity is our life-support system. We do not fully understand the interactions between all the constituents of our ecosystems |
| Deirdre Murray | Clonmel Tidy Towns | Much of our work as a Tidy towns group involves food security. Community orchards are a way to do this. This disease threatens not only our work and that of all Tidy Towns groups, but also one of the biggest industries in Clonmel, Bulmers. We request that the Minister read letter and act reinstate Irish provenance to the ACRES scheme. |
| Ciara Murphy | ||
| Tom Kesne | Stop playing genetic roulette with importations degrading genetics and bringing dieaases into the country. Proper biosecurity now. | |
| Caoimhe Mulcahy | ||
| Scott King | ||
| Sophie Hayley | ||
| Declan Kidd | To Save the hedgegrow | |
| Darren McDonald | Hedgegrows Ireland | Please god the won't import Hawthorne , or did the not learn there lesson from the ash.... |
| Mark McDowell | Hedgerows Ireland | Unlike most politicians, if I let this happen on my watch and did nothing at all I'd know I had failed my children who will never see Ireland as it should be. |
| Gerry Browne | Hedgelaying Association of Ireland | There should be a ban on importation of whitethorn plants due to the risk of importing disease. Our ash trees are all dying due to the importation of infected ash plants some years ago. The DAFM should pay more attention to biosecurity on our island. |
| Fionnuala Corcoran | Kilcock Tidy Towns | We've already destroyed our hedgerows with importation of diseased trees causing Ash dieback. We need to stop importation of all matter likely to bring in invasive pests and disease. As an island we need to implement special and different restrictions and controls from the rest of Europe in order to preserve our hedgerows, one of our last few remaining habitats. |
| Antóin McDermott | ||
| Michelle Teehan | Hedge School Ireland | Our native trees need to be protected |
| MICHELLE MCWILLIAMS | Na | As an island, we need to act fast. This can be prevented with forward thinking, planning & strict regulations like Australia. Only use native grown hedging, communicatre with native hedge growing families, give them encouragement to grow more with the knowledge people will purchase and whitethorn not be imported. Don't let what has happened with Ash die back happen . |
| Margaret Joyce | Community Garden, Donnycarney | |
| Helen McLoughlin | I understand the importance of our native hedgerows for biodiversity and that imported so-called native saplings can bring untold damage in the form of new diseases that Irish trees cannot cope with. Given the dearth of natural woodland and forests, our hedges are more important than ever. It would be a travesty if fireblight got into our tree population! | |
| Bernard O’Brien | Farmers | It’s important to protect our native trees |
| Conor Greenan | ||
| Éanna Gallagher | ||
| Dallan Kearney | Mountnugent gun club | Long term it will affect our native nesting birds and our natural cover for game |
| Seamus O'Toole | Act now please Minister, cut out the bull and redtape and protect our hedgerows. | |
| Louis Cormack | It’s very important that an outbreak is prevented | |
| Catherine Coxon | ||
| Mary O'Brien | My interest is in protecting and preserving hedgerows. I fully support Hedgerows Ireland's Fireblight campaign. | |
| Patrick Maher | Ardmayle Heritage Society | Dear minister Fireblight if brought in with infected plants would devastate the hawthorn hedges and would put the health of thousands of kilometres of hedges at risk |
| Patrick Grennan | Land owner & Farmer & tree planter | Please help protect our hedges from non essential importation of diseases |
| Richard Markham | Tree And Hedge Care | We need to protect all native species at all costs. |
| Nicola Dennehy | ||
| Niall Moynihan | ||
| Mary Attridge-Jones | GrowingANew. | Native species needed to sequester carbon. 🌳 Importing carries a high risk.📎 Support home grown trees and seeds. Provide sustainable growing and planting, through locally supported growers.✅ Protect existing Hawthorn in hedgerows. No cut without assessment by recognizied Fireblight experts. 🗝 We need Hawthorn for biodiversity, it marks the provision of food though the seasons. Hawthorn is part of us🇮🇪 |
| Brian OSullivan | ||
| Gary Brady | The destruction of our hedgerows is a very serious issue and following on from the ash die back issue i believe it is imperative that we all take action now | |
| Bernard Joyce | Already dealing with the fallout of Ash Dieback, with thousands of trees lost and no support, please minister get ahead of this one. | |
| Derrick Hale | My interest is in protecting and preserving hedgerows. I support Hedgerows Ireland's Fireblight campaign. | |
| Aisling Ryan | ||
| Bill Garrett | ||
| Riona Sayers | Farmer | I have planted over 6000 Irish hawthorns on my farm since 2005. I have always ensured that any trees i plant on my farm are of Irish origin as DID DAFM. Can we not learn from the many mistakes of the past that importation of both plants and livestock into Ireland poses a risk to our native species. |
| Stephen w | Hedgerows Ireland | It is imperative that we protect our isolated ecology from infectious and invasive organisms, and promote a local, and ecologically sustainable economy of native plants and local provenance as we face the future of a destabilised environment which can only benefit from improved bio security |
| Nikki Carlos | ||
| Nathan Flaherty | Naas Biodiversity Group | We need to protect indigenous Biodiversity. |
| Connie Drost | Fireblight will have a devastating effect on Irish hedgerows as well as commercial and private fruit orchards. | |
| Kevin V. Mulligan | The potential for further losses to our already diminishing hedgerows is unthinkable, and the matter must be addressed with urgency! | |
| Andy O'Rourke | ||
| Carola Blaney | Wildlife Gardener, Dublin 12. | As a passionate wildlife gardener and environmentalist, I strongly feel, that Ireland needs to implement better and more effective bio-security, keeping a much closer eye on imported plants. Our hedgerows are part of our natural heritage and need better protection right across the board. I see no reason, why Irish nurseries can't propagate locally grown hedgerow plants, including hawthorn. |
| Barry Larkin | I don't want to see our hedgerows destroyed, can the government department not ask for guidance from the hedgelayers associations when redefining the multi year reps schemes every few years to avoid negative consequences? We don't want to see hawthorn going the way of ash if it's avoidable. Ban imports. | |
| Robert Parker | Is our Legacy from ACRES going to be having Miles of Gaps in our Hedgerows?? Turning our beautiful countryside into a burning hell as we (the landowners) try desperately to control the spread of blight. We have enough problems in our history with a blight, let's not add another chapter. | |
| Etaoin Holahan | Fennelly’s of Callan | We don’t want the hawthorn to go the way of the ash |
| Dermot O'Toole | ||
| Mella OBrolchain | Leitrim Environmental Network | We need to protect our hedgerows and the ecosystems they are part of. Ash dieback was because of not using the precautionary principle. Please do not make that same mistake again. |
| Eamonn McGinley | ||
| Rosin Byrne | ||
| Kate Moore | ||
| Sarah Zimmermann | Balbriggan Climate Club | Because our hedgerows will go the same way as ash. |
| Ita Sherlock | ID Environmental Consultants | The loss of whitethorn from Ireland is truly a nightmare scenario from both financial and environmental perspectives. This is a problem on a considerably larger scale than ash dieback. We need decisive action and joined up thinking! |
| Alan Moore | Hedgerows Ireland | We urge the Minister to instruct DAFM to immediately address the significant threat to our native hedgerows posed by Fireblight disease along the lines recommended in the attached letter. |
| Ian Douglas | ID Environmental Consultants Ltd | Losing Whitethorn would mean the end of farmland nature; full stop. It is the most important woody species in Ireland. No scheme on the initiative is worth more than what we would lose if Fireblight takes hold in Ireland. |
| Eoin Donnelly | Hedgerows Ireland | |
| Eamonn McLoughlin | Hedgerows Ireland | |
| Chris McCarney | Sliabh Beagh Trust | Minister McConalogue I have been involved 20 years ago in a small community native tree nursery. We have ideal land for a nursery we just need some level of support and forward planning from our government agencies. The development of local native tree nursery has potential for environmental friendly land use and to create jobs in rural areas. |
| Adrian Fitzpatrick | Down Hedgelayer | Hedgerows are important biodiverse assets. They must be managed appropriately and import of plants from other nations weakens our national ecosystem. Native plants must be native to Ireland to maintain our unique plant genomes. |
| Norman Ingram | Hedgerows Ireland | It is very important for our wildlife and biodiversity that we maintain as many native hedgerows as possible right across the country and with a little forward planning there would have been no need to import any hedging. |
| Clive Lyttle | Hedgerows Ireland and Welig Heritage Crafts | I make a substantial part of my living from Hedgerow management and would like to please continue doing so. Not to mention all the wildlife that rely on our Irish Hedgerows for their very existence. |
| Mark McDowell | Hedgerows Ireland | These measures are urgently required to rectify the careless casual incompetence of officialdom that has cost us so much in the recent past. |
| Katie Smirnova | Hedgerows Ireland | We need more clarity on how Fireblight's alert status is decided. Ireland's landscape, cultural history, and biodiversity would not be the same without Hawthorn. As well as improving how we manage hedgerows, we must do everything we can to stop Fireblight spreading through them. By suspending imports of trees, we would also reduce the risk of other diseases entering Ireland. |
| Shane Downer | Hedgerows Ireland | Ireland is playing with fire if we do not recognise, and respond to the problem of Fireblight. Like any contagious outbreak - we need to escalate attention on the issue, and we need to close off the routes of transmission through which Fireblight can enter Ireland. The government needs to own this challenge - and to act decisively. |