AranLIFE
Daire Ó hUallacháin, Louise Duignan, John Finn (all Teagasc), James Moran (GMIT)
Industry impact: The collaborative AranLIFE project saw the effective implementation of a results-based approach that pays farmers for the quality of the species-rich grassland that they deliver, resulting in increased biodiversity value of over 1,000ha of priority Natura 2000 habitat (EU-protected areas). The project developed a targeted grazing plan to support stock and maintain the quality of priority grassland. The project also identified seasonal limitations with forage quality and developed customised diet supplements for livestock to improve their health, welfare and value while grazing on the species-rich vegetation. This project is impactful because of increased commitment in the EU to results-based approaches in Pillar 1 and 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The effectiveness of the project was recognised through securing funding (€1.45 million) for a follow-up European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project, Caomhnú Árann.
Correspondence: daire.ohuallachain@teagasc.ie
Contribution of non-research stakeholders:
The project would not have been possible without the involvement of the 68 AranLIFE farmers and the wider farming community of the Aran Islands.
Other contributors and collaborators:
AranLIFE was a collaborative project, with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as the Co-ordinating Beneficiary, Teagasc as the Associated Beneficiary and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Fáilte Ireland, the Heritage Council and Galway County Council involved as co-financiers. James Moran (Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology) also collaborated on the project.
Funding: Funding was secured through national (see collaborator list) and EU funding (EU LIFE+ Nature Funding).