Farmers have been encouraged by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) to question agri-environmental scheme advisers on the measures they are to propose under the new CAP and push for a continuation of the practice of sheep grazing hills.

INHFA president Vincent Roddy has argued against sheep being taken off the hills, suggesting instead that sustainable grazing management should be included in the measures of the new Agri-Environment Climate Measure (AECM) co-operation stream expected to launch over the summer.

Roddy’s remarks come as some environmental commentators have suggested that sheep be excluded from hill areas to improve biodiversity through rewilding.

This, the INHFA president said, would be a “bridge too far” and something that “all farmers, especially those on our hills, will find deeply disturbing.”

The hill group head said that it is “vital that we recognise how these areas are managed landscapes with sheep being the primary management tool.”

Sheep in the new REPS

Should AECM planners seek to cut sheep out of the hill management equation, a similar situation could be expected to that which happened with the Burren, where farmers had been advised to cease cattle grazing only to be advised to restart grazing some years later.

“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,” he said.

The INHFA called on farmers to question such advice, in the case that it is given by the those heading up the new agri-environmental scheme, adding that this was “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.”

“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 said.