Farmers with low input permanent pasture (LIPP) in GLAS are allowed to top parcels now. This has been the case since 1 July.

However, with the drought conditions persisting, many farmers, on advice, have decided not to top these parcels.

With the slowness in recovery of grass due to lack of moisture, the advice is not to top, especially if grass is getting scarce on the farm for livestock.

Farmers should note, for this action, parcels cannot be cut for hay or silage and the maximum chemical nitrogen usage is 40kg N/ha per annum.

The specification says pesticides are not permitted, except for spot treatment of noxious and invasive weeds and rushes.

Where present, rushes must be controlled either mechanically, by weed-wiping and or by spot-spraying. While weed-wiping or spot-spraying can take place between 15 March and 1 July, topping to control rushes cannot take place between these dates.

Heritage bill

The Heritage Bill was passed through the final stage in Dáil Éireann last week, with 64 TDs voting for the bill and 33 against it.

Before being enacted, the bill has to go back to the Seanad for one final stage.

The bill includes a number of measures to be introduced on a pilot two-year basis to allow for a more managed approach to the vegetation management issues which regularly arise.

The pilot measures are:

  • Managed hedge cutting in respect of roadside hedges only will be allowed, under strict criteria, during August to help ensure issues such as overgrown hedges impacting on roads can be tackled. This provision applies only to the side of a hedge that faces on to a road. Hedges not running along a road will be unaffected.
  • To allow for controlled burning in certain areas around the country, to be specified by regulation, during March, should it be necessary, for example, in years when the winter rainfall is higher than average.
  • Birdwatch Ireland has said the proposed changes will have a negative impact on wildlife, including breeding birds. It is opposed to the changes.