NPWS Farm Plan Scheme
Designated areas attract payments to farmers through the Rural Environment
Protection Scheme (REPS) and the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme.
For these schemes to work, they need an agreed approach
on how to manage farming in, and around, wildlife
habitats.
NPWS has agreed farming prescriptions for some habitats with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), and the Department of Agriculture and Food. These habitats are:
- the Burren region,
- blanket bogs,
- heaths,
- upland grasslands,
- sand dune habitats,
- machair.
Details can be found in the
NPWS Farm
Plan Scheme website.
Agreement has yet to be reached on prescriptions for a number of other habitats such as callow type land, turloughs and intensive grasslands, and discussions are on going with the relevant farm organisations. Farm planners will then use these prescriptions when drawing up REPS plans or NPWS scheme farm plans.
For habitats where there are no agreed prescriptions, NPWS guidelines can be obtained in “Nature on the Farm” an NPWS booklet. Useful information is also contained in the Conservation Plan for the SAC or SPA.
