MODEL BRIDE PROJECT BROUGHT BEFORE THE DÁIL
The benefits being attributed to the BRIDE Project model, a locally run programme which sees farmers incentivised to increase biodiversity in agriculture, were raised recently in the Dáil.
Cork East TD Seán Sherlock raised the matter with Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue, as he called for funding for the project to continue under the new CAP, particularly in regard to designing Pillar II instruments under the agri-environment climate measures scheme.
“If we can get farmers to devote 10% of their landholdings for nature without losing income and if schemes can be devised, such as the BRIDE Project, which encourages and nudge farmers through a process of inspections to implement more environmental goods, such as riparian goods, grassland margins, hedgerows, increasing biodiversity and so forth, it will have a massive impact,” Deputy Sherlock said.
Early last week, as reported in TheAvondhu on May 12th, Deputy Sherlock visited local farmer, Donal Sheehan of the BRIDE Project at his Castlelyons farm along with Labour Party leader, Ivana Bacik.
“The model is a very simple one. It is a results-based demonstration project that is designed to increase the quantity and quality of habitats on intensely managed farmland. I hope it will continue to be funded as its funding line runs out at the end of this year, as I understand it, and I hope the Minister will have the good sense to continue to support it,” Deputy Sherlock said.
FINANCIAL INCENTIVE
Bringing the BRIDE Project model before the Dáil, Deputy Sherlock noted that farmers are not encouraged in the current CAP to give more of their field margins on their landholdings to habitats as there is a penalty in place for same.
He went on the call on the minister to create a scheme using the BRIDE Project as a model, by designing an agri-environmental climate measure so that the farmer or landholder does not lose income, but rather gains income through a process as devised through the local EIP.
Deputy Sherlock stated that the current model could be scaled up and scaled out, and translated throughout the country.
“We are increasingly losing biodiversity. That is self-evident and we all acknowledge it. The way to get farmers back into managing the countryside is to ensure there is a financial incentive,” Deputy Sherlock said.
“The beautiful thing about the BRIDE Project is that it provides financial incentives. Where somebody implements sustainable or biodiversity measures, there is a marking scheme. The marking scheme determines the amount of money the person will gain, so income is being generated for the farmer.
“I hope the project will continue to be funded and I would love the BRIDE Project to be plugged into the next CAP under the Pillar 2 agri-environment climate measure schemes that will be devised. That would be a good thing for this country and the minister would find many farmers would participate in it,” Deputy Sherlock concluded.