Time to take conservation seriously

FARMERS are often described as custodians of the environment, but that’s not always true. They could have an even more important future role as custodians — with more financial sweeteners being given to farmers that do most for our landscape, which has already suffered so much destruction.

Not everyone agrees that farmers are always protectors of the environment. Since the intensification of agriculture, following Ireland’s entry to the EU in 1973, farming activity has contributed to seriously damaging our rivers, lakes and uplands, whilst large-scale land reclamation has resulted in the obliteration of archaeological remains and other, irreplaceable features of the landscape.

With an increasing number of farmers no longer actually farming, however, they could become actively engaged in conserving aspects of our heritage and wildlife that are under continuing threat.