Minister Heydon welcomes the inaugural meeting of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network
- Published on: 24 March 2025
- Last updated on: 15 April 2025
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, today welcomed the inaugural meeting of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network.
The Minister said:
“I very much welcome the establishment of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network. The Network facilitates direct engagement between my department - in its role as the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) - and plant health stakeholders from the industry and from interest groups.”
Commenting on the meeting, the Minister added:
“Promoting and safeguarding plant health is a key strategic principle of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2020-2025, and is aligned with our regulatory plant health responsibilities at national, EU and international level.”
As part of the direct engagement, stakeholders were updated on key plant health policy and operational developments, including a specific challenge in maintaining Ireland’s Protected Zone status for the bacterial pest Erwinia amylovora (Fireblight). Ireland no longer meets EU Protected Zone (PZ) requirements for Fireblight, and intends to apply to the European Commission to revoke its PZ status for Fireblight. Should the Commission remove Ireland’s PZ status for Fireblight, it will be treated as a Union Regulated Non-Quarantine Pest, requiring controls on plants for planting in nurseries only. Surveillance for Fireblight in the wider environment will cease. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will implement “pest free area” arrangements for those businesses who wish to trade host plants into other protected zones.
Concluding, the Minister thanked the stakeholders for their participation:
“I would like to thank my officials and all the stakeholders for their participation today. The Network provides a forum for discussion, opinion and action on plant health issues and challenges. I look forward to continued engagement and collaboration on plant health and biosecurity.”
Notes
Role of the Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network
The Network is consultative in nature, providing insights and input on matters of policy and operations to the NPPO, to help minimise the threat posed to plants by the potential introduction and establishment of plant pests and diseases, and consequently helping to protect our agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors, and our natural environment.
Key objectives of the Stakeholder Network are to:
- ensure all stakeholders are informed on plant health policy and operational developments
- provide a consultative forum for stakeholders on plant health matters with a view to protecting Ireland’s plant health status
- encourage open communication and engagement on plant health matters
- build collaborative relationships across all plant health stakeholders
Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network
1. Dept. Agriculture, Food and the Marine
2. Dept. Environment Climate and Communications (DECC)
3. National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)
4. National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC)
5. Irish Environmental Network (IEM), IEM delegated to Hedgerows Ireland
6. Bord Bia
7. Coillte
8. Office of Public Works (OPW)
9. Teagasc
10. Irish Farmers Association (IFA)
11. SAP Nurseries
12. Annaveigh Plants
13. Kildare Growers
14. None so Hardy forestry Ltd.
15. Irish Timber Growers Association (ITGA)
16. Irish Apple Growers Association
17. Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association
18. University College Dublin
19. Trinity College
20. National Botanic Gardens of Ireland
21. Society of Irish Plant Pathologists