Naturally-developed native wildflower meadows can be better for pollinators than sowing shop-bought mixes, farmers have been told.
Speaking on Teagasc’s latest Signpost Series webinar, Úna Fitzpatrick of Biodiversity Ireland highlighted the possible advantages of prioritising unsown native wildflower meadows over planted wildflower seed.
“You would be amazed at what can pop up if you give it the chance. You might need some patience, but there are amazing things waiting in soil seed banks,” she said.
“When you buy a package of wildflower seed, you are buying lots of different flowers that were put into the packet probably to look good to humans.
"To be honest, the chances are that these plants would never grow together in the wild,” Fitzpatrick pointed out.
“It is important that people understand the distinction between the two, so they can choose what the best to do is.
“It is expensive, it is difficult. Critically, it is not being regulated, so you do not know what you are bringing in,” Fitzpatrick said, referring to imported commercial wildflower mixes.
Management practices
Among the practices discussed that farmers can carry out on their land to assist pollinators in their vital role within ecosystems were:
The maintenance of flowering hedgerows.Allowing traditional hay meadows to flower.Reducing pesticide use on grassland and field margins.Including multiple species in seed mixtures.Reducing the quantities of fertilisers spread on farmland.Farmland pollinators
Also featured in the webinar was the five-year €1.2m Protecting Farmland Pollinators project funded under a European Innovation Partnership.
The project is a results-based and research-driven farm scheme which rewards farmers in line with their practices, which are scored along a range of biodiversity and pollinator-friendly metrics.
There are currently 40 beef, dairy, tillage and mixed farms operating at different intensities included in the project.
Payments have ranged from €50 to €4,000, with some farms scoring above the €4,000 scheme cap, but limited by the payment.
Naturally-developed native wildflower meadows can be better for pollinators than sowing shop-bought mixes, farmers have been told.
Speaking on Teagasc’s latest Signpost Series webinar, Úna Fitzpatrick of Biodiversity Ireland highlighted the possible advantages of prioritising unsown native wildflower meadows over planted wildflower seed.
“You would be amazed at what can pop up if you give it the chance. You might need some patience, but there are amazing things waiting in soil seed banks,” she said.
“When you buy a package of wildflower seed, you are buying lots of different flowers that were put into the packet probably to look good to humans.
"To be honest, the chances are that these plants would never grow together in the wild,” Fitzpatrick pointed out.
“It is important that people understand the distinction between the two, so they can choose what the best to do is.
“It is expensive, it is difficult. Critically, it is not being regulated, so you do not know what you are bringing in,” Fitzpatrick said, referring to imported commercial wildflower mixes.
Management practices
Among the practices discussed that farmers can carry out on their land to assist pollinators in their vital role within ecosystems were:
The maintenance of flowering hedgerows.Allowing traditional hay meadows to flower.Reducing pesticide use on grassland and field margins.Including multiple species in seed mixtures.Reducing the quantities of fertilisers spread on farmland.Farmland pollinators
Also featured in the webinar was the five-year €1.2m Protecting Farmland Pollinators project funded under a European Innovation Partnership.
The project is a results-based and research-driven farm scheme which rewards farmers in line with their practices, which are scored along a range of biodiversity and pollinator-friendly metrics.
There are currently 40 beef, dairy, tillage and mixed farms operating at different intensities included in the project.
Payments have ranged from €50 to €4,000, with some farms scoring above the €4,000 scheme cap, but limited by the payment.
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