The National Rural Network’s (NRN) Biodiversity Farmer of the Year Award will recognise a farmer who is farming in a sustainable manner, encouraging biodiversity and protecting the environment.

The winner of the award will be judged on their knowledge and enthusiasm towards biodiversity and sustainability during the interview process, and who can positively demonstrate their contribution to Ireland’s biodiversity and native wildlife when selected for a farm assessment.

The NRN Biodiversity Farmer of the Year will be announced at the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards on 11 September .

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Schemes funded through the Rural Development Programme (RDP 2014-2020) reward farmers for farming in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

These schemes such as GLAS, the Organic Farming Scheme, European Innovation Partnerships (EIP), and the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) play a vital role in enhancing and maintaining biodiversity on farms.

Philip Farrelly from the NRN said: “This award is about showcasing farmers who are using and finding innovative approaches that make farming more sustainable, such as using the carbon navigator tool, and promoting behaviour on their farms that will increase biodiversity such as maintaining flowering hedgerows.

‘‘In the years ahead, sustainability will be part of almost every management decision made on farms.”