LATEST ARTICLES
Climate and environment
GAEC 2 debacle highlights leadership issues in agriculture
Contributor
Delaying GAEC 2 or suggesting it can be ignored will just result in more hardship for farmers, writes Ray O Foghlú.
9 April 2025 News
Farmers advised to have geo-tagged photos of old drains
Farmers were reminded that maintenance of existing drains was permitted as part of GAEC 2 at a west Cork IFA meeting on peat soils.
3 April 2025 News
GAEC 2 proposal ‘disenfranchises’ small farmers – Sinn Féin
The party’s spokesperson on agriculture Martin Kenny raised concerns with Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon in the Dáil on Thursday.
West Clare farmer rewets peatland with county council
In the project, a blanket bog - home to two rare and protected birds, the merlin and hen harrier - is being rewetted to provide a wildlife sanctuary for rare habitats and species of concern.
2 April 2025 Climate and environment
INHFA wants mineral soils red-lined out of GAEC 2 rules
The hill farmers’ group has presented what it called a ‘fair solution’ to implementing GAEC 2.
1 April 2025 News
Appeals process for GAEC 2 peat soils
While no appeals process was finalised, it is thought that it will likely require submission of soil samples, geotag photos and an environmental report by a FAS adviser or environmental consultant.
19 March 2025 Schemes
Map: new research estimates that 30% of country is covered by peaty soils
Low-flying aircraft were able to determine whether a soil was peaty, based on differing levels of radiation detected above peats v non-peats.
13 March 2025 Climate and environment
Explainer: what is a drained peat soil?
Teagasc research officer and soil specialist Dr Pat Tuohy outlined the difference between drained and rewetted grasslands last week.
12 March 2025 News
Opinion: rewetting rules a triple threat, but tariffs more immediate worry
While Thursday's meeting on regulations affecting peatland management saw real farmer concerns raised, Donald Trump's latest pronouncements on trade are even more worrying.
8 March 2025 Opinion
Step-by-step guide: how to check if your land is a GAEC 2 peat soil
The mapping system on agfood.ie now has an active layer which farmers can use to check the status of their lands.
7 March 2025 Schemes
Trust in Government at ‘breaking point’ over peatland policies – ICSA
Martin Heydon’s discussion on 'reduced management intensity' of 80,000 hectares under Ireland’s Climate Action Plan has done little to reassure farmers, the ICSA has said.
6 March 2025 News
Department and Minister must respect farmers - Doyle
The IFA deputy president says that farmers have lost trust in Government, as the overlapping demands of the Nature Restoration Law, GAEC 2 and the Climate Action Plan affect peatland farmers.
6 March 2025 News