A group of 23 farmers in Counties Offaly, Laois and north Tipperary have received payments for taking part in a project centred around “regenerating their farmed peatlands”, according to the Green Restoration Ireland Co-op.
The two year project, spearheaded by the the Green Restoration Ireland Co-op, was a Farm Carbon European Innovation Project (EIP) which explored the options for “economically viable carbon farming methods”.
According to Dr. Douglas McMillan, project manager, of the Farm Carbon EIP, its overall aim was to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) released from agricultural peatlands and “address the climate crisis while also enhancing biodiversity and improving water quality”.
“Drained peat grasslands in Ireland emit up to eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and drainage-based agriculture on peatland soils accounts for approximately 25% of all EU agricultural carbon emissions.
“But Green Restoration Ireland believes there can be a sustainable future for our peatland farms and that there are significant opportunities for carbon farming which will also help to deliver increased incomes for farmers which is important for rural communities .
“It is about environmental and economic sustainability,” Dr. McMillan added.
Peatlands
The Farm Carbon EIP project, which was backed by 23 farmers in Counties Offaly, Laois and north Tipperary, operated across peatland soils in the catchment areas of the Rivers Camcor, Little Brosna and Silver.
Peatlands make up an estimated 21% of Co. Offaly, 14% of north Tipperary and 12% of Co. Laois.
According to Dr. McMillan the farmers were at the heart of the project because their farms became “research centres”.
“This project was community orientated and explored how carbon farming measures can be applied in different peatland uses in a collaborative approach with farmers.
“Scientific studies were carried out on all the farms with a focus on biodiversity, soil quality, GHG emissions and water quality. We examined how we could explore ways of protecting our carbon stock, restoring the sequestration of carbon and maximising ecosystem benefits,” Dr. McMillan added.
The Farm Carbon EIP developed a set of “mitigation measures” which they believed were “best suited” to improving the habitats of certain farms.
Dr. McMillan said these options were specifically tailored depending on how each farmer used peatlands.
All of the participating farmers received a detailed Whole Farm Plan which set out a range of mitigation actions to be carried out including “partial re-wetting, full re-wetting and habitat restoration, or paludiculture – wetland agriculture”.
Farmers who participated in the Farm Carbon EIP received 100% funding for “measures up to €5,000, with an additional 50% funding up to a maximum of €10,000 per farm to co-fund the delivery of supporting actions.
According to Dr. McMillan the collated scientific evidence from the project has now been used to predict emissions from peat grasslands based on average water table levels as the basis for an Irish Community Peatland Code.
He believes the initial group of farmers who took part in the EIP project are going to continue with their ‘peat-friendly’ approach to farming.
Dr. McMillan is also hopeful that the focus of the initial project will be incorporated into a new initiative that will include more farmers and peatland areas and that this will form the “framework to guide future agricultural policy”.