Up to 100 Clare farmers are being invited into a new agri-environmental programme for water quality.
Waters of LIFE are projecting an average payment of about €5000 per farmer per year for their EU-funded pilot.
Farmers in the Graney demonstration sub-catchment can express their interest in the programme before the deadline of November 30th.
The Graney is one of only five sub-catchments in the country eligible for the pilot. It includes Flagmount, Dromindoora, Killanena, Lough Atorick and Caher as well as the Bleach, Corra, Dromindoora and Graney rivers. The other sub-catchments are the Shournagh and Awbeg (Cork), Islands (Galway/Roscommon) and Avonmore (Wicklow).
The programme focuses on greater outcomes for water quality under Ireland’s river basin management plan. It commences in early 2025 and will run for three years.
Waters of LIFE has introduced a payment rate of up to €2000 per hectare per year for a riverside habitat. It applies to a 10/10 score for a fenced or uncultivated strip on improved grassland or tillage plot. The maximum width is 20m.
Farmers who don’t have river frontage can be paid up to €400 per hectare for species-rich grassland, woodland and peatland. A riverside bonus of up to €3.20 per metre for a 10/10 plot is also paid out on these habitats.
All participating farmers can also receive payment through general actions, supporting actions and training.
General actions include runoff risk assessment, nutrient management planning and nutrient surplus recording. Farmers can also be paid for supporting actions including fencing, livestock drinking facilities, riverside tree planting, spatially targeted buffers and drain blocking.
Anne Goggin is project manager with Waters of LIFE:
“We’ve been actively engaged with the community in recent months through consultations and public meetings. It was really encouraging to see how many farmers came through the door and uptake on the programme so far has been good.”
“You don’t need river frontage to be a part of this programme. We want all farmers in our sub-catchments to play their part and be rewarded for making a difference to local water quality.”
“All we’re looking for at this point is an expression of interest. It’s a three-year programme so now is the time. From there, we can contact farmers and walk them through the next steps before any commitment is required.”
The first contact offers will be issued in January 2025. Paid training and farm visits will commence in the spring with habitat scoring to take place over the summer.
Advisors will have an important role to play and the project is also encouraging locally based advisors to make contact with the project. Payments to advisors will be administered directly by the programme to ensure farmers are not out of pocket.
Water quality in the Graney sub-catchment is ‘mixed’ according to recent publication by Waters of LIFE. The project’s summary is based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data and a catchment assessment by the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO).
The EPA have assigned good ecological water quality status to the Dromindoora, Corra and Bleach rivers. The Graney is a mix of good and moderate water quality. All rivers with moderate water quality need to be restored under Ireland’s legal commitment to the EU Water Framework Directive.
The LAWPRO assessment found that forestry and too much fine sediment were among the issues and pressures on water quality in the catchment.
Farmers can express their interest and view a detailed information booklet for the programme at www.watersoflife.ie/eoi.
