Report urges fresh farming practices to protect habitat
New practices, which would involve farming in different ways, are urged in the report, Farming the Iveragh Uplands, launched in Glencar, Co Kerry.
Research was undertaken by two PhD students from UCC, Nadine Kramm and Roz Anderson, over a three-year period and involved extensive interviews with 80 farmers in the area, as well as flora and fauna surveys.
The reports points to the need for high nature value farming systems, which place an emphasis on heritage and traditional farming methods, to be introduced.
Current blanket type support systems do not promote this type of agricultural activity, which in turn leads to the loss of the vital and unique natural habitat, according to the report.
Munster MEP Sean Kelly said there was no point in talking about rural development, off-farm employment and the development of the south Kerry area without first ensuring farm families were enabled to remain in the area. He claimed some state agencies were simply ticking boxes, stating that so many million tourists were visiting the country when the majority were visiting Dublin and the east coast of the country and not getting down to areas like Iveragh.
Dr Eileen O’Rourke, of UCC, said as the custodians of the landscape and its traditions from generation to generation farmers must continue to play a pivotal role in both quality food production and countryside management, she said.
George Kelly, of South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd, said current schemes being run through the partnership were putting substantial monies into rural areas such as Iveragh.
The report was carried out in co-operation with the South Kerry Development Partnership, Kerry IFA and Teagasc.
