View the Ear to the Ground piece on the risk of Fireblight to Ireland’s hedgerows here: RTÉ Player Season 31, Episode 11
You can also learn more with our webinar on the Diseases & Pests of Irish Hedgerows: View the recording here.
Report details and send photographs of suspected disease or insect damage through TreeCheck (www.treecheck.net).
On 15th December 2023, Hedgerows Ireland sent the letter below to Minister McConalogue in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The letter refers to the ongoing issue of importing Whitethorn to complete ACRES planting actions. This is the result of the delayed Trader Notice (No. 12 of 2021), which alerted nurseries to expected demand in 2023/2024, and the amendment in ACRES Circular 27, which removes the requirement for Irish Provenance/Irish Origin Whitethorn in hedgerow planting actions.
The potential consequences include the loss of genetic integrity in Ireland’s Whitethorn populations, phenological mismatches between Whitethorn and insect populations, and the risk of diseases such as Fireblight and Phytophthora species spreading through Ireland.
To resolve these issues, we reiterate calls by other organisations to extend the deadline for ACRES hedgerow planting actions. This will allow nurseries more time to reallocate stock to ACRES. Hedgerows Ireland also welcomes the reinstatement of the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirement. If there is insufficient stock of Irish Provenance hedgerow species, we feel ACRES should limit the volume of planting. We also request that in 2024, the Department initiate a programme to set up and support local nurseries around Ireland to help to meet the demand for Irish Provenance plants in future years.