The Department of Agriculture has selected the Hen Harrier Project, a consortium of accountants, agricultural advisers, scientists and conservationists led by the Golden Eagle Trust, to run a €20m locally led agri-environmental scheme over the next five years. The consortium is expected to sign the contract in the coming days and begin work on the terms and conditions of the scheme with stakeholders including farmers in hen harrier designated habitats. Agricultural consultant and project member Fergal Monaghan told the Irish Farmers Journal it was too early to give a start date for payments. “It is a blank sheet. There is nothing pre-ordained about what the scheme will look like,” he said. IFA hill chair Pat Dunne said the scheme should start without delay, with a significant amount of its budget going to farmers. Jason Fitzgerald of Irish Farmers with Designated Land called for an area-based rather than action-based payment.