Fireblight warning — our native hawthorn trees and hedges are at risk

Imports of hawthorn are putting native hawthorn trees and hedges — as well as cotoneaster, apple, pear, and rowan — at risk and must be halted immediately say environmental groups.

Sun, 07 Apr, 2024 - 06:03

Katie Smirnova, Hedgerows Ireland campaigns officer

Hedgerows Ireland, An Taisce, and Environmental Pillar which represents 32 of Ireland's leading environmental NGOs, are calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to act urgently on the risk of fireblight.

What is fireblight?

Fireblight (erwinia amylovora) is a bacterial disease affecting hawthorn. Its other common host trees include apple, pear, rowan, and cotoneaster.

What are the symptoms of fireblight?

Symptoms include the withering of shoots and leaves (‘shepherd’s stick’), cankers, and bacterial ooze. Fireblight is symptomatic during the growing season.

How does fireblight get here?

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 more than 800km of hedgerows in Germany.

What are the treatments for fireblight?

There are no treatments for fireblight, the only way to halt its spread is by burning or destroying infected trees.

What do I do if I see symptoms of fireblight?

Report symptoms to is plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie

Hedgerows Ireland also urges people to disinfect gardening/farm tools often to prevent the spread of disease.

In the open letter to Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue: "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'."

We are concerned that the Department of Agriculture's Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) removed the Irish provenance/Irish origin requirement for hawthorn (which may compose up to 85% of ACRES hedgerow planting). And 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.

Our fears include that "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.

Hawthorn made up 88% of hedgerows in the County Kildare Hedgerow Survey 2022: 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 buried.

Some of the open letter requests to the Department of Agriculture include:

1. Reinstate the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirements for Hawthorn in ACRES hedgerow planting and delay planting actions until the demand-supply gap is filled.

2. Suspend imports of hawthorn plants due to the potential risk of importing disease.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Mark McDowell of Hedgerows Ireland, says: "Nothing marks the passage of natural time on our island quite the way the hawthorn does. From the showstopping displays of blossom which had the entire country talking last May, to the red harvest of the haws in August and September, these transformations keep us in touch with the real rhythms that govern our planet. Hedgerows provide the necessities of life for so many of our native birds, insects, mammals, and plants which bring so much joy to our lives. Yet we risk losing it all through the unnecessary importation of infected plants. This activity is indefensible and inexcusable."

The deadline for ACRES Tranche 1 farmers to plant was extended to 31/03/2025 due to an inadequate supply of trees. However, Hedgerows Ireland says this extension must be matched by reinstating Irish Provenance/Origin requirements, "otherwise, it just gives extra time for hawthorn to be imported".

Dr Elaine McGoff, head of advocacy with An Taisce, says: “The implications of an outbreak of fireblight in the Irish countryside is unthinkable. We’re in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, and our remaining hedgerows are a lifeline for nature. The ill-advised importation of hawthorn could ultimately lead to the widescale loss of valuable hedging throughout the land, with dire consequences for our beleaguered birds, mammals, and insects, with knock-on impacts for the likes of water quality. Have we learned no lessons from ash dieback?”

This is a letter well worth signing.

Fireblight is a real and credible risk for Irish Hawthorn.

Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past, the devastation from Ash dieback is still unfolding. https://t.co/DmkVdSfqmT
— Elaine McGoff (@ElaineMcgoff) March 5, 2024

Fintan Kelly, of Environmental Pillar, adds: “We are very concerned that the iconic, native Irish hawthorn is under threat from the bacterial disease fireblight which was likely introduced into Ireland on imports of hedging plants. The devastation caused by ash dieback should serve as a stark warning about the consequences of complacency around the importation of plants and the need to quickly control outbreaks of disease. Given the importance of protecting native habitats and the species that rely upon them, we are urging the Department of Agriculture to halt the importation of hedging plants due to concerns over the potential importation of further disease. It is also essential that the Department reinstates the Irish Provenance/Irish Origin requirements for Hawthorn in ACRES hedgerow planting.”

Hawthorn is popular in ACRES hedgerow planting actions as it is thorny (good as a barrier), pollinator-friendly, and relatively cheap. There is also a very high demand for it in community hedgerow planting projects such as schools, Tidy Towns, and biodiversity groups.

The full list of 2023 outbreaks confirmed by DAFM are here.

However, Hedgerows Ireland notes that these are only the confirmed outbreaks — it is likely spread a lot wider but either the symptoms haven't been noticed yet or the infection is lying dormant. Hawthorn blooms in May and the disease typically spreads during the flowering season.