Ó An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara
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Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
The Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett has launched the first in a series of farmer training videos developed by the Hen Harrier Project and funded by her department. Starting today, the eight videos will be released weekly on the department website, the Project’s Vimeo page and on social media.
Announcing that the first of the videos to be made available deals with Grazing Infrastructure, the Minister complemented their quality:
"These are stunning films and I look forward to a new one being made available every week. They make learning a pleasure, reminding us of just how beautiful our land is, while at the same time teaching us how best to protect it. This first one advises farmers on how best to invest in fencing, gates and the provision of drinking water, while also giving them the tools to direct grazing where and when it is needed."
While the Grazing Infrastructure film, which is the first in the series, will be generally available on the department website, it will also be distributed to specific Hen Harrier programme farmers through a link sent by SMS message to scheme members to whom it will be particularly relevant. It has also been timed to enable them to apply for support for the actions highlighted in the film between now and the end of the year.
Commenting on the genesis of the videos, Minister Hackett also said:
"These films are a real example of every cloud having a silver lining. If COVID-19 had not impacted on the Hen Harrier Project’s ability to deliver training in person, they would never have been made. But because of the creativity of Fergal Monaghan and his team, and the co-operation of the Hen Harrier project farmers on whose lands they were filmed, we have ended up with a series of beautiful, informative films which cover a range of farming practices in a way which will be of interest to everyone. I am delighted to have been able to support the eight films which have already been made and the other six which are in production, and I hope that many people, whether involved in farming life or not, will enjoy them and benefit from them."
Concluding the Minister stated:
"This series of videos is a wonderful example of the work of locally led schemes which I am delighted to support through our Rural Development Programme. Indeed, the announcement last week of a new allocation in the budget of funding for community nature-based projects is further evidence of my department’s commitment to this approach and I look forward to seeing their outputs too. In the meantime though, I would urge everyone to enjoy this week’s film and make a note to engage with the rest of the series, which continues next week with “Protecting the Bog”, a piece which will show how managing grazing and water tables can deliver for conservation and climate action."
ENDS
The Hen Harrier Project is a €25m project funded by DAFM under Ireland’s RDP. It is a Result Based Agri-Environment Payment Scheme which has been operational since 2017 and will run until spring 2023. It works with over 1,500 farmers from across the six Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the species. These farmers manage 38,000 ha of the upland landscapes in the SPAs.
It is a 5-year programme and focuses specifically on farmers managing land in the six Hen Harrier SPAs - Slieve Beagh, Slieve Bloom Mountains, Slieve Felim to Silvermines Mountains, Slieve Aughty Mountains, Stacks to Mullaghereirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills & Mount Eagle and Mullaghanish to Musheramore Mountains Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
Videos will be made available on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website every Wednesday from 21 October 2020.
The first set of training films covers:
Still in production are films covering:
Links to the films will also be distributed to farm advisors along with other locally led schemes funded by the Minister’s department who may benefit. They will also be available to the general public on the Hen Harrier Project, DAFM and NRN websites.