Some €7m has been allocated to a new scheme for farmers with coastal arable land from south Cork to Wexford, with the primary aim of supporting the hen harrier.

The new European Innovation Project (EIP) - The Arable Coast Environment - is seeking to assist farmers in enhancing habitats for biodiversity.

The new scheme was announced on Thursday by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State for nature Christopher O’Sullivan.

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It will be delivered by a consortium led by SECAD, a local development company based in Midleton, Co Cork. The €7m is to cover administration costs and payments to participating farmers.

The primary aims of the project are to:

  • Identify and prioritise areas for action, based on proximity to hen harrier winter roost sites.
  • Work to secure the long-term conservation of hen harrier winter roosts sites, working with farmers in the project area, exploring mechanisms for protecting roost sites.
  • Identify and implement a suite of results-based and other measures to deliver habitat benefits at scale and quality for hen harrier and its prey (farmland birds and small mammals) in the project hubs and in the wider project area.
  • Create or enhance existing linkages between farmers and local artisan producers and industry.
  • Provide the Department of Agriculture and the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) with a comprehensive dataset, as well as outcomes and recommendations for upscaling measures at landscape scale in the wider countryside.

    • ‘Enhance habitats’

    Announcing the scheme, Minister Heydon said this “major new EIP” will look to “enhance habitats for biodiversity on arable farmland”.

    “EIPs are locally-led, collaborative projects, that involve farmers testing innovative solutions and putting research into practice on farms.

    “The Arable Coast Environment EIP gives participating farmers a great opportunity to develop and implement new ways to support important farmland wildlife like the hen harrier, yellowhammer, skylark and chough,” he added.

    Minister O’Sullivan commended farmers, landowners and local communities across Cork, Waterford and Wexford for coming to protect some of our “most iconic birds”.

    “This will allow sustainable farming and thriving wildlife to go hand in hand.

    “By focusing on a flagship species such as the hen harrier, co-benefits should be realised across a range of nature and environmental interests, while also supporting farmers, landowners and local communities,” he stated.