The Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have taken issue with additional conditions to the new fodder support scheme that will see many of their members lose out.

Speaking on this National President Vincent Roddy outlined how the decision to exclude farmers on lands classified as Category 1 land under the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme “will see up to 30,000 drystock farmers excluded from this vital support.”

This decision has he continued “come as a bolt from the blue as there was no indication that drystock farmers on these lands would be excluded.” Many of these farmers have, stated the INHFA leader “already factored in the fodder support announced in early May when they took up meadow ground and purchased fertilizer.”

“To now deny them that support is unacceptable and has to be reviewed” added Roddy.

In a direct call to the Minister the INHFA President reminded him of the demands made at the Associations National AGM held just two weeks ago which he attended. “At this meeting I welcomed the decision to support all drystock farmers, but also stressed the need to go further and support those farmers who are not in a position to make hay or silage and will need to buy fodder.”

It is, he continued “our understanding that some of these farmers have Category 1 lands and when we assess the changing route of the Fodder Support Scheme there is (albeit accidental) now an option to support all farmers on Category 1 ANC lands with a top-up ANC payment.”

When assessing all aspects relating to this scheme the INHFA leader stressed how the Minister and his Department must honor the commitments they have given to all drystock farmers. This he stated “is about trust and expectation – drystock farmers trusted what they were told last May and held up meadows and spent money in the expectation that support was promised.”

“It is vital that the Minister now delivers on the commitment made and the proposals we have outlined, relating to top-up payments for the farmers with the highest natural constraint is an option well worth considering” concluded Roddy

The Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have taken issue with recent commentary by some environmental groups and NGOs with regard to the role of sheep in upland farming.

Speaking on this National President Vincent Roddy outlined his concerns regarding suggestions by these groups that sheep, who they maintain are not native to Ireland are unsuitable for upland areas and should be removed. This stated Roddy “is a bridge too far and something that all farmers especially those on our hills will find deeply disturbing.”

In managing our hills and upland areas it is he continued “vital that we recognise how these areas are managed landscapes with sheep being the primary management tool.”

As we head into a new CAP cycle and a new Agri-Environment Programme the INHFA President encouraged all hill farmers to question those that will be involved in drafting their AECM Plans with regard to their views on hill sheep farming and ensure they are supportive of this age long practice.

This he added “is something the INHFA will also be doing both with Farm advisors and those involved in managing and delivering on the eight Co-operation Stream areas.

It is stressed the INHFA President “vital that this thinking is challenged and refuted at every opportunity. Otherwise we will find ourselves in a similar situation to the ongoing view expressed on cattle and our suckler herd with regard to methane and the perceived damage they are doing to the environment.”

He concluded by reminding those advocating for the rewilding of our hills of their own failures and cited their advice to remove cattle from the Burren, only to discover that cattle had a vital role in maintaining this unique habitat. “In a similar way sheep have a vital role in protecting our upland habitats which are managed landscapes and it would be totally reckless to make a similar mistake here.”

The Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association have called for additional support to assist farmers access meal and fodder supplies this autumn and winter. Speaking at the Associations Annual General Meeting held in Carrick on Shannon, National President Vincent Roddy outlined the need for additional supports to assist farmers with spiralling costs, resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In his closing address, Roddy stressed to those present, how farmers need support and certainty and called on Minister McConalogue, who attended the meeting “to consider top-up payments to existing schemes, such as the sheep welfare scheme, our suckler support schemes and the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) as a mechanism to pay farmers.”

In welcoming the measures announced by the Minister last month to support farmers making hay and silage, the INHFA President pointed out “how there are some farmers, especially in hill areas that are not in the position to make hay or silage and buy-in all their fodder supplies.” These farmers will, he added, “see very little benefit from the support announced which is why we are proposing these top-up payments.” By topping up payments on existing schemes farmers will, he continued “have the flexibility to decide, how best they can meet their fodder requirements, whether that be silage, hay or meal.”

Following the announcement by Minister Malcom Noonan that Ireland will submit our proposals to the EU Commission on the EU Biodiversity Strategy by the end of this year, the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have called for full stakeholder engagement in correspondence with the Minister.

Speaking on this, National President Vincent Roddy outlined how the EU Biodiversity Strategy which was launched in May 2020 “will be of critical importance to farming and rural Ireland which is why it has to be got right.”

The EU Biodiversity Strategy outlines demands that if applied will see the area of land designated as special area of conservation (SAC) and special protected areas (SPA) increase from 13% to 30%. In addition to this the Strategy also details the requirement for a new designation type called strictly protected on a minimum of 10% of our land area.

Roddy stated, “the SAC and SPA designations have impacted heavily on landowners, due mainly to the restrictions applied under the 38 Activities Requiring Consent (ARC’s). In addition to these restrictions the lack of engagement by the State, which has seen the majority of farmers still awaiting first correspondence and a management plan, some twenty five years after their lands were designated, has actually undermined the habitat status of many of these designated sites.”

A recent survey conducted by the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) on public access received almost 200 responses with dog control identified as a key concern for landowners. In discussing the overall comments from the survey INHFA Vice President Pheilim Molloy stated how “over 40% of those that commented on the survey identified dog control as a major issue for them.”

Other issues that featured prominently “included
• Concerns around insurance,
• A lack of respect and awareness for the goodwill that landowners are providing,
• A lack of understanding on environmental and safety issues relating to where they are,
• Illegal parking and blocking of access points and the sense that, aspects of the tourism industry are taking advantage of landowners goodwill” added Molloy

With regard to the specific questions asked in the survey Molloy outlined how 81% had people accessing their land on a regular basis with 67% seeing people accessing their land on a weekly or daily basis.

When asked about dogs, 83% indicated that leisure users accessing their property have brought dogs. In response to the question on how many landowners have asked walkers to not bring dogs, 64% indicated that they had made this request. When queried on the uptake of this request 61% of landowners indicated how leisure users refused to comply with this request.

In responding to the details outlined in the survey Molloy indicated that “the survey has confirmed what we have been hearing from members for well over a year. Dog control, insurance and respect for farmers' property including the goodwill they are providing, are key issues that must now be addressed.”

“Currently we are drafting a policy paper around public access that is going to call for legislation to ban non-working dogs from our upland spaces” the INHFA Representative said.

In concluding Molloy stated “how the policy paper, which we will issue in the coming days will address key areas of concern outlined in the survey.”