Commodity Watch - Peatlands

​Historically, farmers have been encouraged and incentivised to drain peatland areas, so understandably it seems counter intuitive to reverse this, we now know in many cases these drains, along with other factors, have had an adverse effect on the peatland, and even lead to erosion. Upland farming is a worthy and sustainable form of food production, and, in addition, a well maintained peatland area can provide a variety of valuable benefits such as water quality, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation and biodiversity.

Agri-environment schemes have been used to manage peatland areas, however, local knowledge and expertise that have been passed down for generations, that had a positive effect on upland areas, may not always have been taken into consideration, and the value of these underrepresented. The UFU would like to see a flexible, long term, results based scheme that rewards farmers for positive management, enabling them to carry out any initial works and that is reflective of the variety and importance of ecosystem services peatlands provide. An attractive upland based scheme would also be key for most hill farmers as they are currently unable to benefit from other sustainability schemes such as Beef Sustainability Package.

UFU peatland officer

The position of peatland officer within the UFU is funded by DAERA. It was created to provide support and advice to farmers in regards to peatland management, and aid in remedying some of the barriers farmers face while trying to navigate policy and management schemes. In addition, there are site visits, best practice demonstrations, and training and information events to give farmers the opportunity to learn more about the realities of positive peatland works and its value in addition to food production.

The role is in partnership with Ulster Wildlife, whose peatlands team work closely with farmers to draw up and implement funded management plans across Northern Ireland, while also pushing for fair upland schemes.

Although we are still waiting on the details of Farming with Nature, if you have peatland and are interested in taking part in sustainable management, there are a few things you can do to get involved and be prepared. Ulster Wildlife and UFU are holding information evenings (see below), to provide a comprehensive overview into peatland projects and gain valuable feedback from farmers and landowners, all are welcome to attend.

Alternatively, you can get in contact with the UFU peatland officer Stephanie Clokey or the UW peatland team to take part in a general baseline survey (a walk of the site, peat depths and if appropriate, drone footage of harder to access areas), to get a better idea of some of the methods of management that would be applicable on your peatland. The survey does not require any commitments, however, if you would like to move forward, the peatland team can liaise directly with those interested to create tailored management plans, draw down funding, tender for contractors and oversee works.

If you would like any further information or to register for either of the events below, please get in touch via email or telephone: [email protected]/02890370222.

Events

- Glenwherry Hill Farm Visit on Wednesday 26 February provides an opportunity to see the results of peatland works carried out on CAFRE hill farm to support both sustainable farming and biodiversity.

- UFU/UW Information Evening in Cushendun on Thursday 27th February, 7pm at The Old Church Centre, 1 Church Lane, Cuchendun,BT44 0PG.