Duhallow farmers will provide national blueprint for environmental farming

Schemes will help farmers to stem erosion of their land from flooding and reclaim previously lost land

Tony Ahern, right, dairy farmer in Kanturk, with Mike O'Connor, project ecologist at IRD Duhallow, near the banks of the River Dalua. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Results from schemes being undertaken in northwest Cork will be incorporated into a Department of Agriculture blueprint to be launched next year. The aim is to make agriculture more environmentally friendly.

The schemes, run by the regional development organisation, IRD Duhallow, help farmers to stem erosion of their land from flooding and to reclaim previously lost land. It involves planting indigenous trees while improving water quality in rivers, which, in turn, protects and enhances wildlife.