Almost 1,000 farmers in the €25m Hen Harrier scheme are to receive bonus payments totalling nearly €500,000.

The bonus payments are in recognition of these farmers’ success in delivering habitats for Hen Harriers and other wildlife. Farmers qualify for the bonus based on how well Hen Harriers are doing in their area.

Announcing the payments, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett said: “In a week dominated by reports of fires in our upland areas, it is a relief to get some good news.

Results-based

“I am delighted to see these results-based payments being made to farmers who have ensured that the Hen Harrier population in Special Protection Areas have reached their objectives.

“This is a real achievement and the farmers involved have earned every cent. This payment is not a hand-out. The farmers have managed their farms to deliver a habitat that sustains the Hen Harrier population and they deserve recognition for that.

“These farmers are true farmers for nature,” Minister Hackett said.

The bonus payment supplements a results-based payment for habitat quality and a supporting actions payment for investments designed to improve the farmer’s ability to deliver enhanced habitats.

Ecosystems

Minister Hackett said the scheme was an excellent example of the collaboration required to ensure fragile ecosystems were well managed.

“The actions taken by farmers to support Hen Harriers have a wide range of other benefits also, including for nurturing other wildlife, for carbon storage, for climate adaptation and for water quality,” the minister said.

“So, as well as being an indicator of the health of the ecosystem of the landscapes in which it breeds and hunts, the Hen Harrier can deliver extra for that ecosystem.

“And crucially, I believe the success of the programme shows us that a national agri-environment programme tailored for local communities and landscapes, yet effective in delivering local objectives, really is achievable.”