Overgrown purple moor grass is an enemy of farmers and hen harriers as its dead leaves cause spring fires. "These fires pose a real risk to wildlife, including the hen harrier. They threaten the eligibility of land for direct payments, they are a risk to people and property, including fencing, and tackling them diverts fire brigade and defence force resources," the Hen Harrier Project wrote in a call for volunteer farmers to tackle the problem.

The locally led scheme aims to graze purple moor grass in the summer with mature cattle or ponies. This would reduce the fire risk, while freeing up silage ground on lower land. The problem is that the nutritional value of the plant drops from July and livestock turn away from it.

Special lick buckets

Devenish Nutrition has developed special cattle lick buckets with the project team to address this. "This is a new product unlike anything else on the market," the team said. "It has a high protein content which helps with weight gain. It also provides a nitrogen source which supports bacteria in the animal’s gut and helps ensure that plant matter is fully digested and its nutritional value to the animal is maximised. The block also supplies vitamins and essential minerals."

Additional management is needed to direct the cattle to the purple moor grass. The hen harrier programme is trialling this approach this year with 40 farmers in two designated areas: the Slieve Aughties SPA; and the Stacks, Mullagherierks, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA. It is looking for the final 10 volunteers in these areas to start the trial this month.

Marketing test

Participating farmers must purchase up to 10 animals for the demonstration. The will receive the lick buckets free of charge. The Hen Harrier Project will transport and weigh their animals before and after grazing the hills, monitor results and pay the farmers €216 for their time.

Dawn Meats has committed to buying the animals and paying 10c/kg above the national average price for their grade, as well as an additional 4c/kg if they meet Dawn's quality standards. The company will use the animals' meat for market testing to establish how a market can be developed for meat produced through sustainable farming in the uplands.

More information and contact details are available from the Hen Harrier Project's Facebook page.

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