President Higgins plants Irish oak to commemorate launch of International Year of Plant Health 2020

President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle; and two helpers, commemorating the Irish launch of International Year of Plant Health 2020. Photo: DAFM.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has chosen the year 2020 to raise awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.

Horticulture

16 January 2020

President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, planted a native Sessile oak tree in the Phoenix Park to commemorate Ireland’s launch of International Year of Plant Health 2020 on Wednesday.

Plants make up 80% of the food we eat, and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe. Yet, they are under constant and increasing threat from pests and diseases.

Climate change and human activities are altering ecosystems, reducing biodiversity, and creating conditions where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade has tripled in volume in the last decade and can quickly spread pests and diseases around the world, causing great damage to native plants and the environment.

President Higgins, in the past, has highlighted the impact of climate change, stating that contemporary society will be “judged by future generations as to whether we averted our gaze from the vulnerabilities of our planet. . . or had the empathy necessary to celebrate our interdependency”.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), Andrew Doyle, said Ireland has been a strong supporter of the UN’s initiative from the start of this process, and stressed the significance of President Higgins planting our native tree to launch Ireland’s International Year of Plant Health.

Minister Doyle went on to say that DAFM will roll out the key messages of the initiative at appropriate events throughout the year.

Following the planting of the native oak tree, the Minister concluded that “the International Year of Plant Health 2020 will have significant impacts on the realisation of several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the FAO strategic objectives. Ireland has already shown a clear commitment in this regard.”