National president of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), Pheilim Molloy, has called out Government policy that prioritises the ongoing purchase of land for rewilding ahead of supporting farmers through a much needed hill research farm.
Over the last number of years, we have, Molloy stated, “seen the Government actively seek out land on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in a clear plan to rewild as much of our hill land that they can get their hands on.”
There isn’t, he added, “a month that goes by that we don’t hear of the State bidding and buying up hill land, as they look to expand the number and size of our National Parks.” “Against this, we see growing frustration amongst hill farmers at the lack of support, especially in the areas of research that is becoming more and more evident as the years go by”, stated the INHFA president
The decision by the State (Teagasc) to not renew the lease on the 682-acre hill research farm in Lennane, Co Mayo has, Molloy maintained, “led to a major deficit in accurate research, especially with regard to the role farming activity has for biodiversity, habitat management and carbon capture.” This deficit is, he stressed, “best understood when you assess the level of peer-reviewed hill research coming from the CAFRE (College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise) farm at Glenwherry on the Antrim Hills.”
“Here we see informed research that challenges the narrative on carbon emissions from drained peatlands and establishes how these lands are actually sequestering carbon instead of emitting, while also illustrating the critical role controlled burning has in habitat management” added the farm leader.
“Unfortunately, in the Irish Republic we have nothing to match this, but even more depressing is”, he stated, “the fact that the financial resources needed to support such research are not forthcoming.” It seems he continued, “easier for the State to squander money through the purchase of hill lands for untested rewilding plans than to use some of these resources in developing a hill research farm to support farmers, Rural Communities and the environment.”
Over the last number of decades, we have, Molloy outlined “seen massive levels of research focused on the dairy sector, and there is no doubt that this sector has benefited. However, with over 25% of our land area defined as uplands, it is time that the Government and State agencies get serious about resourcing the research necessary to support our farmers and the critical habitats that they manage.”