Farming for nature Q&A

1 What does Farming for Nature mean and what are the objectives of the initiative?

Farming for Nature means what it says – managing the land and livestock in a way that respects and enhances the natural world around us.

The Farming for Nature initiative seeks to acknowledge and support those farmers who farm, or wish to farm, in a way that will improve the natural health of our countryside.

2 Why is this concept being promoted so much now?

There is widespread awareness of the environmental damage that can be caused by the wrong type of farming. We hear about it all the time. There isn’t as much discussion of those that are doing a great job farming for nature, about the positive stories, meaning we don’t have many good role models. This negative narrative can alienate farmers from nature, making them feel apart from it rather than part of it.

Encouraging farmers to feel that they are part of the solution, not just the problem, is the first step in a long journey which will require a lot of financial and technical support, new partnerships and new visions. This award can hopefully be a start.

3 Is it just for farmers who are farming in more difficult terrain with high nature value or can any farmer get involved?

This initiative is relevant to all farmers. As a business, farming depends on nature in one form or another.

This year’s shortlist includes farmers from some of the most fertile land in Ireland, as well as farmers in remote upland and island areas.

What they all have in common is an interest in nature and an appetite to ensure that their farm, and their landscape, is passed on to the next generation of farmers in the best possible condition.

4 Where did the idea come from to hold awards celebrating Farming for Nature?

The idea initially came from the Burren, where we organised an annual awards ceremony to acknowledge those farmers who had done really exceptional work under the Burren Programme. We wanted to thank these farmers publicly, but also show the broader community the amazing amount of hard work, skill and ingenuity involved in looking after the land properly.

The event, funded by Bord Bia, worked really well. The farmers were delighted and proud of the award. It gave them the impetus to carry on their great work and act as spokespeople for the importance of farming and nature.

So we approached Bord Bia and they very kindly agreed to try this at a national level in 2018.

5 Six farmers have been nominated for these awards, how were they nominated and why?

The six farmers were among a larger group of farmers who were nominated by a panel of over 150 environmental experts from across Ireland. We used this nomination process because we didn’t want this to be seen as a ‘greenwashing’ exercise – having a network of professional nominators was therefore critical. The farmers were nominated because the experts felt that these farmers were doing great things for nature on their farm and/or in their community, and they would be great role models for others.

6 How do you see the Farming for Nature initiative growing in the future?

Farming for Nature is a mostly voluntary initiative so we can only do so much. But I would love to see an annual national award – and who knows, an international competition in future years. But as well as the awards, I’d like to see this initiative acting as a catalyst for more supportive policies under the CAP for farmers who want to farm for nature, better research and advisory supports for farming for nature, and a wider recognition by society (including the farming community) of the importance of Farming for Nature for the health of our countryside and of our communities.

7 What is the Burren Programme, when was it launched and how/why did it get off the ground?

The Burren Programme (BP) is a pioneering farmer-centered, results-based initiative based in the Burren, Co Clare and Co Galway. The BP arose from the findings of the Burren LIFE project (2004-2010) and commenced in April 2010.

It got off the ground because it enjoyed the strong support of the Burren farming community who had been centrally involved in co-creating a blueprint for Burren farming under the LIFE project. Its success was also founded on its solid research base, it’s proven impact in delivering environmental impacts and the presence of an experienced team based in a local office in the heart of the Burren.

8 How many farmers are involved in the Burren Programme and what tasks do they have to carry out?

Currently 330 farmers – farming over 22,500ha of Burren farmland – participate in the BP. They receive two sets of annual payments. One is a results-based payment where they are rewarded for the management of each field on the farm, based on its environmental condition – largely determined by how well-managed (grazed) it is during the year.

The second payment is for works that farmers nominate, and carry out, themselves – including scrub removal, wall repair, water provision, access provision, fencing and gate installation.

We never tell a farmer what to do – we instead ask them what they feel needs to be done, and if we agree that this will improve the environment then we will co-fund it with them and help them to get the necessary permissions.

9 What financial support do they receive to carry out these tasks and what is the return for the tax payer?

The average payment per farm between 2010 and 2016 was €6,500 – this was in addition to any REPS/AEOS payment. For farm works, each farmer is granted an annual allowance of €100/ ha, with a maximum allocation of €7,000/year.

Some farmers may choose to do no work, and they receive no payment, while others may seek to use all of their allowance. All works are co-funded by the farmer (at a rate of 25%, 50% or 75% depending on the job) and they are only paid once the job has been completed fully.

Why do farmers in the Burren need so much support, would they not farm these lands anyways?

We see these supports as rewarding farmers for the delivery of services that society wants, not as a form of compensation. Without this funding it is highly likely that grazing levels on the Burren winterages would continue to decline, resulting in ongoing scrub encroachment which would in turn result in a loss of rare grassland habitats and archaeology.

We can’t let this happen in the Burren, the richest heritage landscape in Ireland, at least not without trying to do something about it. The future of the Burren and its communities, local and visiting, depends on it.

Do you think it would be a good idea to roll out more similar projects in other parts of Ireland or is this already happening?

Absolutely, we need more locally targeted, farmer-centered approaches whereby farmers are rewarded for delivering environmental outcomes, whether these be biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water management, recreation etc.

And we need to rethink what it means to be a farmer, that it’s about managing the livestock but also about managing the land (and water) in a way that will deliver multiple benefits to the farmer and to society.

From a farming background in Co Waterford, Brendan has spent the past 20 years living and working in the Burren region. He led the award-winning BurrenLIFE Project (2005-2010), its successor, the pioneering Burren Farming for Conservation Programme (2010-2015) and currently manages the new Burren Programme. Along with his late wife Ann O’Connor, Brendan co-founded Burrenbeo Teo and is secretary of its successor, the Burrenbeo Trust, Ireland’s only landscape-based charity which delivers an extensive annual programme of place-based learning initiatives.