Burren Life: Building a new scheme from the ground up

The model used in the Burren has been widely recognised and forms the basis for many groups applying to the department’s LLAES.

Widely recognised as one of Ireland’s most important biodiversity landscapes, the Burren’s 720km2 is home to diverse habitats and rare flowers for which the area is famous.

The Burren uplands come alive in winter as cattle move from the fertile lowlands to the upland ‘winterage’ pastures. Traditional winter grazing has decreased on the uplands, which has led to accelerated scrub encroachment and degraded habitats. But the Burren Life programme, which began in 2005, sought to address the problem and encourage farmers to return to traditional practices which delivered environmental benefits as well as agricultural goods.

“We had REPS, AEOS and GLAS, but in many ways they are broad-brush national schemes which were not designed to solve problems in particular areas,” said Sharon Parr, project scientist with the Burren LIFE programme. “Farmers in the area often know what the problems are and what the solutions are but it’s the help to do that where the programme comes in.”

Listen to an interview with Sharon Parr in our podcast below:

When the SAC came in there was a huge backlash from farmers who could appeal but only on scientific grounds. Michael Davoren, chair of the local IFA, saw the value of farming in the area and recognised the local farming knowledge that existed there.

Funding

With the help of Michael McGrath, Davoren got funding for a Teagasc Walsh fellowship to look at the impact of agricultural practices on the natural heritage of the Burren uplands. Brendan Dunford was the student who carried out the research and he spent a lot of time talking to farmers in the Burren to gain an understanding of farming in the area.

His PhD formed the main part of the application to the EU for funding under the EU LIFE programme. This led to the start of the Burren LIFE scheme which was spread across 20 farms, about 2,000ha, and had three partners – the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Teagasc and the Burren IFA branch. The four main principles of how the Burren LIFE programme set out to achieve its objectives to conserve the heritage, environment and communities of the area are:

The locally led project pioneered a hybrid approach to farming for conservation which sees farmers paid for both work undertaken and for the delivery of defined environmental objectives.

Winterage

Historically, the value of a winterage on the Burren was its carrying capacity as it was a cheap way of outwintering cattle. “When Ireland joined the EU everything changed and farmers started following markets,” said Parr, who works with Dunford. “You’ve now got suckler cows rather than drystock. Because they go up [to the winterage] in-calf they have higher nutritional requirements than drystock.”

This change in practice meant farmers needed to start feeding silage on the winterage, which caused numerous problems, not least of which is the fact that the effluent filters into the groundwater rapidly in the limestone landscape.

Another problem was reduced levels of grazing and therefore scrub encroachment, while blood scour in calves standing around feeders was also an issue. So a new ration was developed.

“Feeding silage doesn’t fit with what’s needed or protect water quality,” said Parr. “With Teagasc, a Burren LIFE ration was developed based on the forage analysis. It puts in the protein that’s missing after Christmas and has added minerals.”

The research phase of the programme also looked at repairing internal drystone walls.

“REPS looked after the external walls but many of the internal walls disappeared,” said Parr. Boundary walls generally have to be kept well, but across “100 acres of a winterage which is rough, dippy, twisty land with no internal walls” it can be difficult to find cattle.

By rebuilding internal stone walls, farmers could keep cattle at the top of the hill in the earlier stages of pregnancy when cows are more mobile and slowly move them down closer to the lowlands throughout the winter.

“So you graze out each section better and you also know which field they should be in.”

Better grazing over winter means more flowers and insects over summer.

Local focus

Not only does the programme benefit farming, but there is also a socio-economic spin-off. It has increased work for local contractors, shops and manufacturers. One such benefactor is Padraig Howley, who makes Burren gates in Kilfenora, Co Clare. He makes replicas of those made in the region in the past using flat iron, then galvanises them.

“I got photographs of old Burren gates, did a bit of research and came up with the most popular one.”

Initially the gates were made for the Burren only but now they are being sold further afield, with gates recently sent to Galway and Limerick. Howley finds that August to September can be particularly busy because farmers have to meet their plan requirements.

“I’m delighted with it, it’s been a great success for us.”

Watch

The Burrenbeo trust have produced a number of videos with farmers taking part in the programme:

Burren facts