€350 offer to protect bird of prey

FARMERS will be offered a €350 payment per hectare if they sign up to a new package of measures to protect an endangered bird of prey, the hen harrier.

Environment minister of state Batt O’Keeffe announced the move yesterday as part of the government’s efforts to comply with the EU’s Birds Directive.

The EU has fined a number of other European countries tens of millions of euro for non-compliance.