‘High Nature Value’ farming the way forward

A “NEW and evolving approach”, High Nature Value (HNV) farming is based on the realisation that biodiversity is usually higher on less intensively managed farmland.

The EPA report that there is an opportunity to develop HNV farming in Ireland, particularly in Connaught and the border region where farm incomes are lower.

“It becomes apparent that the potential for maintaining HNV farming is greatest in areas with high proportions of economically vulnerable farms, while also being the areas at greatest risk of losing HNV areas due to land abandonment or overgrazing,” it says.

“This would suggest that there is potential for incentivising the provision of other ecosystem services in these areas in addition to production-oriented ones.”

HNV farming’s dominant feature is low intensity management, with a significant presence of semi-natural vegetation and diversity of land cover including ponds, hedges and wood- land,” the Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Ireland’s Environment: An Assessment 2016’ report says.

“HNV farming has been gaining recognition across EU Member States and, in recent years, there have been efforts to ensure that the importance of HNV farmland is appreciated and supported by appropriate policy instruments.

“The Heritage Council, in particular, has championed the identification and description of what constitutes HNV farmland and how it might be supported under Common Agricultural Policy reform.”

Three demonstration projects have already occurred at the Burren in Co Clare, in Kerry and on the Aran Islands. The scheme co-funds the costs of completing environmental works, and pays the farmer for delivery of outputs.

Average payments to Burren farmers were just over €6,000 in 2015. On Aran, 68 farmers covering 1,000ha are involved, while the Kerry scheme will cover 2,500ha of farmland and 400ha of forest to support the conservation of the freshwater pearl mussel habitat.

Average temperature is now 0.8C higher than 110 years ago

Growing season now beginning up to 10 days earlier for certain crops.

Extreme weather events are likely to increase. That includes more intense rainfall, which will impact on run-off volumes, and longer dry spells, which will pose risks to availability of water.

There is a significant risk of new animal and plant diseases establishing a permanent foothold on the island as winter conditions get milder and wetter.

The number of annual frost days, where temperatures fall below 0C, has fallen which is increasing the risk of over-wintering of pathogens.

PHOTO: BRIAN GAVIN PRESS 22 Flooding as far as the eye can see in Clonlara, Co Clare last January. The EPA repdict that extreme weather events such as last winter’s floods in the west are likely to increase in frequency and intensity