The Government has been accused of seeking to rewild large tracts of uplands by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA).

The farm body accused the Government of “squandering” money on “untested rewilding plans” rather than using some of these resources in developing a hill research farm.

“The Government actively seeks out land on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in a clear plan to rewild as much of our hill land as they can get their hands on,” said INHFA president Pheilim Molloy.

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“There isn’t a month goes by that we don’t hear of the State bidding and buying hill land,” he said.

“Against this we see growing frustration amongst hill farmers at the lack of support especially in the areas of research,” the INHFA president pointed out.

Molloy claimed that decision by Teagasc not to renew the lease on the 682ac hill research farm in Lennane, Co Mayo has led to a major deficit in accurate research, especially with regard to the important role farming activity plays in biodiversity, habitat management and carbon capture.

“This deficit is best understood when you assess the level of peer-reviewed hill research coming from the CAFRE (College of Agriculture Food & Rural Enterprise) farm at Glenwherry on the Antrim Hills,” Molloy said.

“Here we see informed research that challenges the narrative on carbon emissions from drained peatlands and establishes how these lands are actually sequestering carbon instead of emitting, while also illustrating the critical role that controlled burning has in habitat management,” the farm leader said.

Contrasted

Molloy contrasted the massive levels of research focused on the dairy sector with the dearth of resources assigned to the country’s uplands, although the hills make up 25% of the country’s farmed lands.

Molloy also took aim at the Nature Restoration Law and what he described as “over-reach” on the part of the EU, and particularly the “unelected” Commission, in seeking to enforce tighter environmental restrictions.

“This [Nature Restoration] law where applied will drastically influence what will happen in terms of land use. But I’m not convinced it will deliver on its environmental ambition,” Molloy maintained.

“I say this is because many of the proponents of this plan, both in Brussels and in Ireland don’t want farming and definitely not farming in these areas and if this is the policy pursued then the plan will fail,” he added.

“The habitats we are looking to protect are managed habitats dependent on farming activity. This is why the best means of managing and improving these habitats is by supporting our farmers with clear advice and informed research,” he said.