EIP Newsletter
Duhallow Farming for Blue D
Newsletter March 2022 By MICHAEL MORRISSEY
EIP Project Agri-Environmental Specialist
A Wetland habitat receiving Payment Project Update The Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments EIP Project has entered the 4th year of our 5-year project. The project which aims to protect, restore and enhance the quality of freshwater in the rivers and streams of the Allow river catchment has grown in support amongst the farming community of the Newmarket, Kanturk, Meelin and Freemount areas of Duhallow. Project farmers in the EIP implemented a wide range of measures in the project to protect and enhance the biodiversity of not only the river but also adjacent lands throughout the catchment. The target for the project was to have 85 applicants by the end of the 2021calendar year. The project achieved this total and subsequently paid out €184,940 to the active project farmers in 2021. These payments were a combination of results based payments and for the implementation of additional proposed works which are described later in this article. As the project moves into its fourth year it has a total of 93 active farmers. Unfortunately, the project is now oversubscribed and unable to take new applicants for the foreseeable future.
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Water Quality Analysis 2022 The project team use a number of parameters to measure the success or progress of the project. A number of these parameters include water quality analysis. The team will be carrying out water quality analysis quarterly in 2022 including chemical analysis whereby the river water is tested for Nitrates & phosphates and biological analysis whereby the river water quality is assessed using the presence of macroinvertebrates. The project will be encouraging project farmers to carry out citizen science including biological sampling of rivers and streams in the catchment.
Water Quality analysis using biological indicators Project Measure Surveying 2022 The time of year for field surveying in 2022 is fast approaching. Ideally all farm holdings in the project are surveyed including habitats, the farm yard connection drain and the farmyard. This year the project will be carrying out a farm assessment on all participating farmers. Where issues on the farm yard are identified the project team will work with the project farm to rectify these issues. The project farmer will be provided with a farm assessment scorecard to carry out citizen science on the farm, farm yard and farm connection drain. This scorecard will form part of the project farmer training and will be
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discussed further at project farmer workshops in 2022. The project has added a new tool for surveying in 2022 with the purchase of a drone. The drone will be utilised for field surveying and monitoring of project measures such as biodiversity ponds, farm roadway upgrades and in-drain siltation ponds. Workshops Project farmer training and workshops play an important role in the EIP project to inform both project farmers and the wider stakeholders of the relevance of high status waterbodies and river catchments. These workshops are varied in nature ranging from farmer demonstration walks, farm yard management, citizen science and river biology. Throughout the year the project team will be holding a number of training events and workshops throughout the catchment. The first training event of the year was held in early march to showcase a successful farm roadway upgrade to prevent silt run-off entering a river. This demo event highlighted the use of concrete water bars and a two chamber settlement pond to control and prevent silt run-off. The project hopes to have the next workshop in April covering the topic of improving soil biological activity and the soil health. All project farmers in both EIP’s will be invited to the event.
Farm demonstration event to show case a farm roadway upgrade to prevent silt run-off Issue 60 March 25, 2022
