The introduction of environmental policies that include so-called rewilding, where farmland is abandoned for natural restoration, has been ruled out by Northern Ireland’s agriculture minister.

“Rewilding has thus far demonstrated to be a complete and total failure,” Edwin Poots told reporters at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday.

“We seen that when crofters moved off the hills in Scotland and it reverted back to species which didn’t benefit biodiversity.

“It actually took away from biodiversity and didn’t benefit anything in terms of the environment,” he said.

Vision for agriculture

The DUP politician said his vision for agriculture in Northern Ireland is to utilise land for food production, while delivering environmental outcomes at the same time.

However, Minister Poots acknowledged that areas of peatland would need to be rewetted to help restore upland habitats and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

“We need to look at how we can rewet areas of peatland which are currently far too dry and consequently are not having the carbon capture that they potentially could,” he said.

English view

Also speaking at the online press conference, environment secretary George Eustice was less dismissive of incentivising rewilding in England.

The Conservative MP said that he is currently reading a book on rewilding and he stated the UK government has already announced it is willing to support rewilding projects.

“It certainly won’t be right for every farmer, or indeed most farmers. We are not going to prescribe that this is something people should do.

"But for those that do want to do it, it is a choice that we want to help support,” Eustice said.