Jobs injection through conservation project

A CONSERVATION project in North Clare, as well as benefiting local farmers, will also generate employment, it was revealed this week.

The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme (BFCP) based in Carron, recently issued a call for people interested in helping to undertake paid conservation work on some of the more than 100 Burren farms, which have been included in the pioneering new conservation programme.
“Especially during a recession, we are delighted that the opportunity is there for local skilled people to get paid work and it would be a good supplementary income for farmers, who want to work on other farms, or other people in the area and it is another positive really, that there will be employment from it,” commented Aisling Keane, spokesperson for the BFCP.
The BFCP is a three-year agri-environmental programme in the Burren funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The aim of the BFCP is to work with farmers to protect the important habitats of the Burren, continuing the work of the BurrenLIFE Project.
More than 330 farmers applied to take part in BFCP and just over 100 were successful. However, it is not the end of the road for some of those who did not make it onto the programme.
“There were over 300 applications but unfortunately, the funding didn’t allow everyone who applied to take part. There was a lot of disappointment because people were keen to get into the programme. There is an appeals process and from our understanding, there will be some appeals. Approximately 100 to 120 farmers were accepted to the programme but there may be some people who applied but who for whatever reason cannot take part and perhaps others who nearly got in will be moved up the list,” she added.
A major component of the BFCP over the next three years will be the implementation of a works programme on selected farms. This work will include stonewall construction and upkeep, scrub removal using a variety of methods, provision of livestock watering facilities and other related works.
“There is a great deal of work to be done in the coming months and years to help improve the condition of the habitats and heritage of the Burren. Given the rough terrain and the sensitivity of the habitats, most of this work will have to be done by hand and in some cases, farmers and their families will need additional help to carry out work such as wall building and scrub removal. To assist these farmers, BFCP are compiling a list of potential workers from which the farmers will be able to source help,” explained Ms Keane.
“We are particularly interested in hearing from local people with training and previous experience in stone wall repair and scrub removal. Ideally, people should have their own insurance cover and be available for short-term, part-time, paid employment,” she continued.
Ms Keane asked that anyone interested in being included should contact the BFCP office on 065 7089000 or info@burrenlife.com before the end of August.