Farmers to the fore in taking action to support biodiversity
More than 96,000 farmers have commited 10% of their land to ‘Space for Nature’ in the Eco-scheme action.
It is essential during Biodiversity Week 2024 that we recognise and celebrate the tens of thousands of Irish farmers who have accepted the challenge and committed to being part of the solution.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is proud to be considered a forerunner in the integration of ‘Biodiversity in Action’ working with farmers as part of the drive towards sustainable food production.
Occupying approximately two-thirds of Ireland’s land area, farmland and farmers are central to Ireland’s biodiversity and the Department has been building supports to encourage farmers to take action to support biodiversity through many different incentives, schemes, projects, educational and awareness-raising initiatives.
For the Department the focus in relation to biodiversity is on farmland and the semi-natural habitats and species which rely on agriculture for appropriate and sensitive management.
Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP), has been designed to reflect a significantly increased dedication to the environment and, in particular, biodiversity.
- Over 96,000 farmers have committed 10% of their land to ‘Space for Nature’ in the Eco-scheme action.
- Farmers have committed to protecting native species and local waterbodies both on their farms and across the Irish landscape. This is being achieved through their participation in CAP Strategic Plan schemes such as the Eco-scheme and the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and through hundreds of EIP-Agri and EU LIFE projects across the country.
ACRES is Ireland’s main agri-environment scheme worth €1.5 billion which rewards farmers for committed environmental effort by linking payments to the quality of environmental outcomes delivered. By managing farmland in a more nature-friendly manner and thus providing higher environmental quality, the higher the payments farmers can receive.
Other biodiversity actions in ACRES are designed to provide the habitat and food requirements for farmland-dependent species.
- 55,000 farmers in ACRES are enhancing biodiversity on over 800,000 ha of land.
- Farmers in ACRES are planting almost 600,000 trees and 2,400 km of new hedgerow.
- Farmers in ACRES will protect over 6,300km of watercourses.
are continuing to showcase the success of locally-led and targeted approaches to blending agricultural activities with biodiversity. This will provide environmental and economic benefits.
For the period 2018-2021, €59 million of funding was provided through the Rural Development Programme, to support 55 EIP projects covering a range of issues including biodiversity, soil, water and farmer health and safety. EIP support will continue under the CSP and the large scale Breeding Wader EIP in collaboration with NPWS has been launched this week.
Pollinators play a vital role in sustaining farming and biodiversity and the Department has provided support and funding to several pollinator projects from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to the Pilot National Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. As part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan the department provides funding for a Farmland Pollinator Officer to engage with and support farmers in taking actions for pollinators and biodiversity on their farm.
During National Biodiversity Week, CAP Network Ireland will spotlight the invaluable effort of thousands of farmers participating in various agri-environmental schemes under the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023–2027.
CAP Network Ireland is managed by three organisations Irish Rural Link, ERINN Innovation and Munster Technological University and co-funded by the Department and the European Union. A key role of the Network is to nurture connections of a diverse range of stakeholders across the fields of agriculture, rural development and innovation.
Visit capnetworkireland.eu to find out more information, and meet farmers like Neille Hurley, who are making significant environmental contributions with support from the department’s schemes.
“These schemes are going to keep people on the land, rather than lose interest in it,” Neille Hurley, Cork.
Outside of the CAP Strategic Plan, the Department is engaged in several EU LIFE projects, working in collaboration with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE Integrated Project, Corncrake LIFE and LIFE on Machair projects, for example, all focus on biodiversity actions for priority habitats and species.
These projects are a great opportunity for farmers to contribute to knowledge sharing and the development of biodiversity actions. The learnings from these projects will inform future policies to support biodiversity in the same way the EIP’s have informed the development of ACRES.
Through the wide variety of initiatives, the farming community is showing great enthusiasm for taking action and for sharing their wealth of knowledge of what is happening on their land.
Find out more about by visiting gov.ie/cap
