This article is from page 16 of the 2013-04-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A NEW campaign to roll out the Burren Farming for Conservation Project across the Burren looks set to get underway in the coming weeks. The chairperson of Burren IFA, Carron farmer Michael Davoren, last week called on the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney (FG), to extend the project, which already includes more than 150 Clare farmers.
Last year just under € 1 million was paid out for essential biodiversity works to be carried out on 158 Burren farms.
Should the scheme be rolled out across the Burren it could mean an extra annual funding boot of more then € 10 million to the local economy. The funding is made available for works such as stone wall building, scrub removal and the construction of access tracks on Burren farms. This work is designed to help protect each of the different biological habitats which are natural in the Burren.
In recent years, the spread of scrub over areas of limestone pavement has been one of the major imbalances tackled by the project.
Scores of farmers in the Burren have returned to the ‘winterage’ method – which sees cattle left out on land during the winter, when they feed on young hazel and other scrub plants, which helps to prevent the scrub from taking over areas of limestone pavement.
Burren IFA chairperson Michael Davoren made the call at at BurrenBeo Trusts annual showcase last week.
“With the support of local conservation groups like the Burrenbeo Trust we have been able to pilot a new type of environmental scheme which rewards farmers for looking after the Burren,” he said.
“This meeting of minds has created a fair deal, which allows farmers to add to their income while giving society what it wants: a healthy Burren. We are now calling on the Department of Agriculture to roll out the Burren Farming for Conservation Project across all of the Burren – this will really transform the Burren and the lives of the people in it for the better.”
The Burrenbeo Trust is Ireland’s only registered landscape charity and their goal is the protection of the Burren and its communities.