For generations, Colum Ginnelly, a farmer, was accustomed to eliminating purple-flowering thistles from his expansive 500-acre farmland near Mulranny, County Mayo, seeing them as mere weeds. These days, however, he is cautious not to damage the thistles during his routine farming duties. He speaks of an altered mindset that has shifted his perspective on thistles and other plants.
Amid the recent approval of the European Union’s Nature Restoration Law, many in Ireland’s agriculture sector are curious about its ramifications. Notably, a significant number of individuals and communities are engaged in various EU-backed restoration initiatives throughout the nation.
Ginnelly is one of the 820 farmers involved in the Wild Atlantic Nature (WAN) project, focusing on restoring 35 blanket bog sites across counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Cavan. As a fifth-generation sheep farmer, Ginnelly, whose livestock graze on mountains, lowlands and islands in Clew Bay, actively encouraged an additional 140 farmers within the Nephin Beg region to participate in the results-oriented payment scheme run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Derek McLoughlin, WAN’s project manager, elaborates on the scheme. The ecological worth of the land dictates the farmer’s score – the greater the score, the greater the compensation given to the farmer. The Wild Atlantic Nature programme’s payouts can range from €800 to €15,000.
Having taken over the family farm with his mother after his father’s unexpected demise from a heart attack in the 1990s, Ginnelly, a father of three, participated in the WAN project around three years ago. His involvement significantly influenced his understanding of the land. Reflecting on it, he says it was only then that they started to notice and appreciate the flora that existed on their land.
The impact of adhering to measures like reducing livestock numbers, limiting the use of fertilisers and chemicals, and careful targeted spraying of weeds to spare other plants, has been clear. Ginnelly has personal opinions on how the new law’s changes will be received by farmers.
Farmers are always willing to accept and face new challenges, however, dislike it when they’re coerced to do so, according to one veteran farmer’s son who has seen his father significantly involved with the IFA over the years. Farmers prefer being explained their tasks as they often exceed expectations, comparing to when they are simply given orders.
James Gilmartin, an organic farmer based in Leitrim and a representative for “Farming for Nature”, is commended for his efforts towards improving biodiversity. He takes an approach that harmonises with nature, moving his solar-powered, mobile henhouse routinely, frequently tracing where his cattle have grazed. He utilises a mobile app to control the GPS collars of his cattle, aiding him in directing their movement and conserving his diverse upland grasslands.
Gilmartin, who’s a seventh-generation farmer and a teacher, recently won in the local Leitrim elections as an independent candidate for the very first time. While he acknowledges the merit of the new EU law, he is also sceptical.
He expressed his concerns about how the implementation of the new law would be financed, and what happens when public lands are exhausted and private lands become the only option to fulfil Ireland’s goals. Gilmartin believes that already, a majority of farmers in his locality are contributing significantly towards restoration.
Feargal Ó Cuinneagáin, a veteran and part-time farmer, has taken conservation to heart. To save the corncrake, a species on the verge of extinction, he acquired a 25-acre land on the Mullet peninsula in 2011, a once popular home for corncrakes. To provide them with an appropriate hideout, Ó Cuinneagáin has filled his land near Belmullet with beds of nettles.
“He revealed that they arrive towards the end of April,” he stated, adding that due to insufficient protection in grassland meadows, they resort to nettles, hogweed, cow parsley or flaggers.”
On his own farm, and the one adjacent to his, there were this year nine male callings, marking the highest corncrake count since the 1980s. “The corncrake is my passion,” he confessed. “Every year, I devote roughly 100 days of intense labour to the farm, and hearing a corncrake calling is the culmination of that hard work.”
Effectively, there are fiscal benefits for those who participate in initiatives such as Corncrake Life or Corncrake Farm Plan, which the NPWS oversees. In 2023, the average payment under the Corncrake Life scheme was approximately €3,000, according to the NPWS. Reimbursements fluctuate based on the quality and quantity of land that farmers earmark for nature conservation. Over the last half-decade, there’s been a 35% surge in corncrake territories.
A company spokesperson uttered, “It’s had a revolutionary impact on communities, landscapes, and absolutely the corncrake population.”
Ó Cuinneagáin has been successful in luring snipe – a wading bird distinguished by its long, thin beak – to his biodiversity-rich fen. He cultivates a particular crop to appeal to twite – a variety of finch – which he claims is on the edge of vanishing in Ireland. “We’re talking about only 50 pairs left in the entire country,” he stated. “During the winter, they come to my land for sustenance after they breed on the cliffs at Erris Head.”
In addition to this, he is making efforts to conserve the great yellow bumblebee, which is now classified as endangered in Ireland. “They rely heavily on late blooming species like knapweed, so I defer any mowing until October,” he shared.
Derek McLoughlin, the driving force behind the WAN portal in the western and north-western regions, believes that the apparent clash between farmers and environmentalists is greatly exaggerated. “I firmly believe that farmers are the most inventive cluster in society since they encounter and resolve into issues daily,” notes McLoughlin.
Colum Ginnelly, a fifth-generation farmer who also operates a tour bus company as an additional income stream, has shared his perspective about the ongoing vulnerability of rural regions to major policy changes. He contends that, for several decades, farming expectations regarding food production have been unachievable and have resulted in losses for certain areas in the midlands and north west. Ginnelly highlights a new mindset being embraced towards what the land is capable of; he encourages farming in harmony with nature, which can now bring rewards and enjoyment, instead of hardship.
Gearóid O’Foighil is part of a nature preservation initiative at the Scohaboy bog, close to the town of Cloughjordan, in County Tipperary. Previously, the 1,500-acre elevated bog and natural heritage area was the usual spot for 44 locals to source their turf for winter. Now, the Cloughjordan Community Development Association, a key group that coordinates with a host of local community groups like the heritage group, the Tidy Towns, and the Christmas lights committee, has played a pivotal role in the resolution process between residents and state agencies for an expansive restoration scheme at the location.
O’Foighil highlights the rapid transition from peat extraction and burning to conservation of this unprotection area over a brief period, with no conflict. He displays pride in the accomplishment, noting a surge of bog cotton and diverse plant life as a result of the rejuvenation initiative. In his view, the readiness of traditionally turf-cutting locals to acknowledge the value of preservation can be credited to ordinary people communicating with their peers, thus invoking a strong “peer influence”.
In a week marked by the passing of a new EU law in Brussels and the departure of Eamon Ryan from his role as Green Party leader, O’Foighil appears hopeful. However, he express the sentiment that some individuals remain uninterested in environmental discourse. Despite not being affiliated with any political party or the Green Party in particular, O’Foighil commends Ryan on his work and influence, implying that his departure is a blow to politics.
Ginnelly, who uses the tour bus company to subsidise his farming income, ponders over the future of farming as a legacy for his kids. He shares his reluctance for his kids to adopt the strenuous lifestyle that his father had, emphasising the advantages of farming with nature rather than against it.
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