The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has revealed the 10 most popular actions under the Green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) in 2020.
The department released its Annual Report 2020 yesterday (Thursday, August 12), outlining its performance across various ‘strategic goals‘ last year.
Strategic Goal 2 deals with farm sector supports and controls. Under this section, the report outlines the top 10 actions that were carried out under GLAS in 2020.
The top GLAS action was low-input permanent pasture, whereby permanent pastures were extensively grazed and managed with low inputs to sustain a greater variety of plants and wildlife.
This action was undertaken by 36,132 farmers, more than double the uptake of the second most popular action.
Protection of watercourses from bovines was the second most popular option, which had an uptake of 17,883 farmers.
The purpose of this action is to exclude cattle from watercourses to promote biodiversity; prevent pollution; and prevent the breakdown of vegetation along the banks of watercourses.
The third most popular GLAS action was the installation of bird boxes, which 16,747 farmers undertook last year.
This action is aimed at helping to replace natural habitats for birds that have been removed through changes in farming practice.
After that, traditional hay meadows was the fourth most popular action, with 15,679 farmers taking this action.
Traditional hay meadows promote the maintenance of the traditional method of forage conservation that is beneficial to grassland flora and fauna.
Bat boxes had the fifth-highest rate of take-up among farmers, with 15,481. The action is aimed at helping to replace natural roost locations for bats that have been displaced because of changes in farming practice.
Bat boxes are helping to conserve some of the nine bat species found in Ireland, according to the department.
The conservation of solitary bees action was undertaken by 12,326 farmers. Under this action, farmers fenced off a 1t mound of sand to protect it from livestock, which provided habitat for solitary bee species. Solitary bee species account for 79 of Ireland’s total 98 bee species.
10,422 farmers availed of the wild bird cover action. This involved sowing a seed crop mix that provides a food source and winter cover for farmland birds and other fauna.
Commonage was the eighth most popular action undertaken last year, with 8,767 farmers involved.
The action is to ensure that commonage lands are appropriately grazed and managed to ensure they remain in good agricultural and environmental condition.
Farmland habitat (private natura) was undertaken by 7,947 farmers. The aim of this action is to conserve valuable and threatened species and habitats.
It involves avoiding farming practices that cause environmental damage and to protect vulnerable habitats such as wetlands.
Finally, rounding out the top 10, traditional dry-stone wall maintenance was undertaken by 7,905 farmers.
The maintenance of stone walls offer shelter to livestock and protection to wildlife. They are also an important habitat for both flora and fauna.