With a national agenda for rewilding large areas of our country gathering pace through proposals outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy. The Irish Natura Hill Farmers Association have pointed to recent fires in Killarney National Park as an insight into the potential dangers of what they maintain is a flawed policy.
Michael McDonnell who represents the organisation on the Irish Uplands Forum stated has been telling the OceanFM farm desk how proposals outlined in the Biodiversity Strategy targeting a significant increase in the Natura 2000 designation’s in addition to the implementation of a new designation type called ‘strictly protected’ has the potential to radically alter our landscape.
There is a fear that a large percentage of land targeted for such use could be in the north west.
Michael McDonnell says that many small farmers in the North West are rightly concerned
