Glanbia Ireland has launched Operation Biodiversity, an initiative to increase the planting of trees and hedgerows on Irish farms and in turn encourage biodiversity.

The aim of Operation Biodiversity is to plant 100,000 trees and hedging plants. Farmers can avail of advice from horticulturalists in CountryLife garden centres, where bundles of trees and hedgerow plants have been developed for different soil types.

As part of the initiative, Glanbia Ireland will donate 10 bare root trees for every low-cost bundle of 15 trees purchased and will donate a hedgerow bundle, which will plant an additional 10m, for every two hedgerow bundles purchased.

The initiative is supported by the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan as flowering hedgerows provide food for pollinators, as well as food for birds and mammals, all of which increase biodiversity.

Bryan Daniels pictured with his children, Toby (3) and Shannon (5).

Bryan Daniels, a dairy farmer from Co Kilkenny, said: “We are always striving to do our very best to make our imprint on our farm and leave it in even better condition for the next generation. It’s important that every farmer embraces planting trees and hedgerows and Operation Biodiversity is a good way to get involved or to build on your foundations.”

Environmentalist Éanna Ní Lamhna said: “The native species being donated by Glanbia Ireland will grow very well on Irish soils and enhance the appearance of the farms on which they are planted.”