New project presents opportunities for peatland farmers

Farmers, farm advisors and the wider Offaly community will be able to access free, hands-on support on how to access new income streams from peatlands, in particular abandoned cutover, as part of the recently launched Peatlands for Prosperity: Farming for the Future project.

Launched at the Paludiculture ‘Showroom’ on the Regan farm in Gortavally, Shinrone, it is one of the projects funded in the EU Just Transition Fund programme, run by Green Restoration Ireland (GRI) and co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.

Peatlands have been very much in the headlines of late with a lot of concern in the farming community about the possible imposition of conditions for agricultural peat grasslands. But what if you could actually ‘restore’ damaged and degrading peatlands by reclamation for agriculture, generating income from lands with no financial potential? How is this even possible? Well, this is what the new Peatlands for Prosperity project is proposing - the key difference lies in the approach.

The launch location in Shinrone was significant as it is the site of Ireland’s first on-farm Paludiculture trials and will be one of the two main venues for the project. The second demonstration farm is located in Ferbane.

Dr Doug McMillan, General Manager of GRI said:

“With the Peatlands for Prosperity project, Green Restoration Ireland (GRI) is offering free, hands-on support to farmers, farm advisors, and the wider community. Participating farmers can avail of comprehensive, no-cost surveys to assess their peatland’s potential for carbon payments, Paludiculture crops and establishment of paludiculture crops. The project also offers free on-farm training delivered at the pioneer farms in County Offaly to demonstrate how to successfully manage your peatlands and unlock new income streams.”

Of the launch of the project, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien T.D. remarked:

“We welcome this opportunity to support this innovative project. Management of farmed peatlands through paludiculture is a valuable opportunity to support the transition towards climate-neutrality and encourage biodiversity, while also facilitating the diversification and modernisation of the economy of the territory for the benefit of impacted communities.

“Peatlands for Prosperity demonstrates an environmentally sustainable solution to the challenges of the cessation of peat extraction in the Midlands, placing the welfare and wellbeing of the farming community at its core. This project represents the necessary shift towards environmentally conscious land use while enabling farmers to access new potential sources of revenue. We look forward to witnessing the impact and influence of this project on future initiatives.”