An event organised by the FarmPEAT project, which rewards farmers for environmental actions, will take place on Clara Bog, Co. Offaly next week to discuss farming on peat soils.
In the midlands, 49 farmers with land adjacent to bogs are currently part of the FarmPEAT European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) which will run until the end of 2024.
Participants are predominantly beef and sheep farmers, but there are also a few dairy farmers. Of all participants, 20% are undertaking rewetting actions, according to FarmPEAT.
The idea of the FarmPEAT project is that rewetted fields aren’t taken out of agricultural production, but that grazing can still continue on that land, according to FarmPEAT.
Clara Bog
Farmers especially are invited to the community gathering on Friday, March 1, from 2:00p.m to 4:00p.m organised in collaboration with the Clara Heritage Council.
Anyone interested in joining the event is asked to register on eventbrite or directly contact the public liaison officer of the FarmPEAT project, Katie Smirnova.
The project team will speak about the benefits of bringing up the water level, and reduce “some of the fear” that’s associated with nature friendly peat soil management, she said.
The Clara Heritage Society will also share stories about the social life, conservation, development, and sacral landscape of Clara Bog.
Attendees are asked to meet at Clara swimming pool at 2:00p.m before carpooling to the bog walk due to limited parking at the site.
FarmPEAT project
The project is specific to eight peatland sites: Ballynamona Bog; Clara Bog; Clonboley Bog; Cloncrow Bog; Daingean Bog; Ferbane Bog; Raheenmore; and Umeras Bog.
Rewetting actions refer to the blocking of drains to raise the water table to within 30cm of the bank surface, which is the top score achievable for the results-based payments.
These levels are decided by the farmer, the project team, and hydrologists to ensure sure it’s high enough to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but not flooding the land, she added.
However, every 10cm increase in the water level of drained farmed peat soils reduces emissions by around 3t of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per hectare per year, Smirnova said.
By only raising the water table to within 30cm of the bank and drain, farmers’ land itself is not flooded, as water continues to flow away which allows vegetation to continue to grow, she said.
However, she said, before any actions are taken, it is being assessed where the water is flowing to, and how high the water level can be brought up without flooding the land.
FarmPEAT also rewards farmers for other supporting actions, for example the installation of food bridges to reduce cattle access to the water course, she added.