Pilot training for GLAS begins

There are currently about 38,000 farmers in the Green Low Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS), which is expected to reach approximately 50,000 participants at full capacity. While 2,500 farmers missed out on gaining access in the last tranche, they will have the chance of applying in the next one in autumn.

For those who have been accepted into the scheme, the focus should now be on ensuring they comply with the terms and conditions with regard to the options they have picked.

In the past few weeks, Teagasc together with the FRS (Farm Relief Services) has started to roll out pilot GLAS training events around the country. To date, there are approximately 15 courses completed. We attended one of the pilot courses on Friday last in Sligo to find out the key messages.

Course requirements

It is a requirement that any person partaking in GLAS must attend an approved training course delivered by an approved consultant by the end of the second year in the scheme. The training course is a one-day event which is broken up into two sections, a classroom-based morning session followed by a practical session on a farm.

The farmers attending the course should receive a payment of €160 on completion. This is paid to the farmer by the course provider. This is a change from the old AEOS and REPS courses, where the farmer was paid by the Department of Agriculture in the next payment following completion of the course.

Farmers in tranche one who opted for bat/bird box, conservation of bees, planting of native trees, riparian margins, or protection of watercourse, must have the work completed by the end of March.

Those who opted for the wild bird cover option need to have this area seeded by the end of May, while those who chose to put catch crops in place have to have done so by 15 September.

Farmers who chose the option to lay or coppice hedgerows must have done so by February 2017, and traditional orchard or planting new hedgerow options must be carried out by 31 March 2017.

Bat and bird boxes

On Friday, local Teagasc adviser Eamon Avery detailed the various requirements for those who had chosen the bat and bird box options. He said that when making bird and bat boxes, timber that is likely to last, like larch, should be used. Teagasc environmental specialist Catherine Keena told farmers they should build bird boxes with the bird type in mind and not to use timber treated with preservatives, as these may harm the birds. Where using preservatives, she told the crowd to only use preservatives that are bird friendly.

Frank Brennan of FRS said that those who have chosen these options need to have put the boxes in the parcel which was selected for this option on their plan. He said that in the case of bird boxes, these should be facing north and east and be placed on trees at least 2.5m over ground level.

He added that another requirement is to clean the boxes every October/November. The minimum number which can be put up is one and the maximum is 15.

Frank said that bat boxes have to be placed on south-facing buildings or on trees with few branches, again in the areas clearly marked on the map. They should be away from lights.

Catherine Keena said that they need to be put up at a height of 4m. She said that unlike birds, bats need to fall into flight, so the boxes must be placed high in suitable locations.

Extensive grassland

Some of the options with the highest uptake in the first tranche of GLAS were low-input permanent pasture and traditional hay meadows. For those who opted for traditional hay meadows, these areas should be closed from livestock from 15 April and cut as hay after 15 July.

It is required that the crop is turned twice to increase seed loss to the soil. The maximum chemical N usage is 40kg/ha/year and lime, P, K or slurry is allowed based on soil analysis but not recommended.

Low-input permanent pasture should not be cut from 15 March to 15 July. No silage or hay can be cut and weeds can only be taken care of using spot spraying or weed licking. Again, the maximum N input here is 40kg/ha/year.

Traditional stone walls

The option of traditional stone walls was again one of the most common among the group. Given the topography of the areas these farmers were in, traditional stone walls are commonplace. Under this option, farmers are obliged to maintain chosen stretches of dry-build stone walls. This entails rebuilding stretches that have fallen or placing fallen stones back onto the walls.

Where this option is chosen, the walls need to be maintained from the start to the end of the contract.

Fencing watercourses

Another one of the frequently chosen options among the group was excluding bovines from watercourses. Oisín McDonald of FRS said that the fence must be stock-proof and at least 1.5m from the top of the bank. He said that no drinking points are permitted and advised farmers to look at putting nose pump drinkers in fields near watercourses as a means of providing drinking water where no mains water is available.

Where cleaning drains, leave the vegetation on the sides of the banks and clean the bottom of the watercourse. Where there are doubts over the distance of an existing fence beside a watercourse, he advised farmers to check the distance and move the fence out or replace the fence where possible.

Rejuvenating hedgerows

Frank told the group that there are three types of hedgerows – escaped hedges, those with a dense base and relict hedges.

He said that where laying a hedge is taken as an option, main branches should be removed to allow for laying, especially near the base of the hedge. The tree should be cut near the base with a downwards angle. He said that the plant should then be staked to secure the hedge. It should be then fenced to make it stock-proof.

Where a coppicing option is taken, all hedge material should be cut from 15cm from the base of each tree. The cut should be done at an angle to allow water to run off. Farmers are obliged to in-plant and hedge plants in gaps of more than 1m. Any plants that die must be replaced.

Catherine Keena advised farmers to be cautious for wire attached to hedges, as if the saw cuts the wire it is a significant safety risk.

Hedgerow planting

For those who have opted to plant a new hedgerow, you should have control over both sides for maintenance. There are three plant varieties allowable – holly, blackthorn and whitethorn. They should be planted in a double row at six plants per metre.

Catherine advised farmers to ensure they have receipts for at least 1,200 plants where 200m has to be planted. She told farmers to avoid exposure of the root of the plant to air and to ensure all roots are underground.

She also urged farmers to cut the plants to 75cm above ground after planting to encourage branching of the plant. She told farmers to use old silage plastic to control weeds at the base of the hedge.

Where rabbits are a problem, placing two strands of electric fence at 6in and 18in will help keep them away from the plants. Hedgerows should be protected with a stock-proof fence. Oisín advised farmers to keep the fence far enough out to allow for trimming of the ground inside the fence with a hedge trimmer.

Avoiding penalties

Avoiding penalties is crucial for all farmers in GLAS. Catherine said that one of the highest penalty rates in the old REPS scheme was watercourse fencing, where fences were either not in place or too close to the watercourse bank.

In AEOS, non-compliances were found in planting new hedgerow options where insufficient number of plants per metre were used. Other non-compliances were insufficient length planted and failure to stock-proof the hedge.

Other AEOS non-compliances are listed below.

Planting a new hedgerow

Species rich grassland/low-Input permanent pasture

Traditional hay meadow

Traditional stone wall maintenance