Five-year contracts for eco-friendly farmers

Farmers in Co Clare can avail of five-year contracts under the Department of Agriculture’s Burren Scheme to protect the protected area.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney unveiled plans for a new agri-environment scheme for the Burren, to come into operation from next year.

Speaking in advance of the Burren Winterage Festival, due to take place from October 23 to 25, he said he was delighted with the progress being made by conservation-conscious farmers in the region.

“These new schemes are designed to complement the more broadly-based Glas and Glas+ measures and will be aimed at supporting local solutions to specific environmental problems,” said Mr Coveney.

“With Glas now bedding down, I am determined to move this process forward as quickly as possible. The locally-led approach offers a novel and innovative way of involving local communities and brings a new and exciting element to bear on agri-environment schemes.”

The new scheme, funded under the RDP, will focus specifically on the conservation of the unique farming landscape of the Burren in counties Clare and Galway.

The scheme builds on the success and experience of similar schemes piloted under the Burren Life Project and Burren Farming for Conservation Programme.