Farming initiative proves economically and environmentally friendly

THE implementation of a North Clare environmentally friendly farming scheme has resulted in a dramatic reduction of 655,000kgs of silage required for 20 farms over a five-and-a-half-year period.

That’s one of the benefits of the Burren LIFE Project, which officially ended last week just before the Department of Agriculture sanctioned a new agri-environmental programme worth €3 million to the local economy over the next three years.
Burren Life manager, Dr Brendan Dunford was speaking after it was announced that Burren LIFE Project won the tender to administer the new scheme. The National Parks and Wildlife Service will cover the cost of this while also providing a monitoring role.
Dr Dunford revealed the introduction of a specially formulated concentrate ration developed by Teagasc specifically for the project, which cut the dependence on silage by a massive 61%.
Dr Dunford explained this initiative was part of a package of measures, which were designed to extend the winter grazing season on winterages to reduce the risk of pollution and undergrazing.
Before the advent of the project in September 2004, livestock were housed during the winter and this required large amounts of silage to be harvested and also led to poaching when cattle were fed at feeding points.
The limited availability of water also restricted grazing levels and impacted on the welfare of animals while poor farm infrastructure made husbandry more difficult and less effective.
The restricted access impacted on the grazing of winterages and stock herding while scrub encroachment on priority habitat reduced biodiversity.
All these issues have been tackled with impressive results as a result of the partnership approach adopted by Teagasc, the National Parks and Wildlife and farmers, who earned a livelihood from drystock and dairy enterprises on 3,000 hectares of land stretching covering Tubber, Ballyvaughan, Kinvara and surrounding districts.
The project helped increase overall grazing by 25%, funded new water facilities such as nose pumps and tanks on 18 farms and restored 15,000m of internal stone walls using local skilled labour.
In the region of €0.5 million has been spent in the local economy in direct payments to farmers and contractors for approved work, which is also closely monitored. About 80% of the cost of new infrastructure such as boundary walls and fences and scrub removal is financed by the project.
Research carried out by the project showed the public was willing to pay an average of €842 per hectare to maintain limestone pavements and orchid-rich grasslands in the Burren.
The conservation of archaeology, flora, fauna and wildlife have all benefited from environmentally friendly farming practices.
Michael Lynch, who works as a field monument advisor for Clare County Council, said that a large number of ancient field systems and enclosures dating back to the Bronze Age over 6,500 years ago have been unearthed and recorded after scrub removal.
“The number of monuments and burial sites in the Burren from the Neolithic, Stone Age and medieval period is unbelievable. “This underlines the importance of the Burren from an archaeological perspective and the need for conservation through appropriate farming practices,” he said.
A few years ago, a small excavation on a farm in Kilconry near Castleconnell unearthed the remains of a human body while Dr Marion Dowd from Sligo IT discovered a Viking necklace from a dig at Glencurran Cave.
The remains of a house were found during an excavation at Caherconnell Fort last year while Carlton Jones, a archaeology lecturer in UCG found a Stone Age tomb and a Bronze Age settlement as a result of field work on Roughan Hill near Kilnaboy.
These benefits helped to sanction the new scheme where between 600 and 700 farmers will be able to apply for €1 million over three years covering land on 700km2.
Dr Dunford said the new scheme was exciting because of the way it was structured, targeting payments for the protection of SACs, provision of infrastructure, scrub removal and production of species-rich grassland, which will be judged on its overall quality and management.