According to project manager Fergal Monaghan, 566 farmers expressed interest in the Hen Harrier Programme in the three weeks after it opened on 8 December. This is half the target number of 1,100 to 1,200 participants expected for the €25m scheme.

“We are delighted with this level of response and would hope to build on this interest as we approve applicants into the programme,” Monaghan told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Expressions of interest at this early stage do not equate final participation in the scheme. Farmers must hire an approved adviser, sign a contract with the programme team and draw up a farm plan in the coming months before they can begin to claim payments.

There are an estimated 4,000 farmers in hen harrier designated areas.

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Hen Harrier Programme targets more than 1,000 farmers

Full coverage: Hen Harrier Programme