CAFRE Hill Farm opens for environmental farm tours

June 14, 2022

The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) will be hosting farm tours at the CAFRE Glenwherry Hill Farm this summer. The tours will showcase the work underway at the farm to manage the land in a way that significantly improves the impact of the farm on the environment. Some of the work commenced as long ago as 2009 under the Glenwherry Hills Regeneration Partnership to help increase the dwindling populations of “at risk” species. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in the populations of ground nesting birds and Irish Hare across the 960 hectare hill farm.

Nicola Warden, a Biodiversity Technologist at CAFRE explains; “at the hill farm there are many exciting environmental projects. These projects demonstrate how farmers can increase biodiversity, improve water quality and water resource, reduce peatland greenhouse gas emissions, return moorland to peat accumulating condition, reduce the flooding risk and maximise wildfire prevention.”

Nicola added, “The tours are open to farmers and landowners who have an interest in maximising the environmental value of hill farms and moorlands in particular. Visitors will hear and see about a range of different projects, which include, predator control, peatland rewetting, scrape and dam creation, forest to bog restoration work, conservation grazing management and moorland water quality and flow rate.”

To book onto the tours in August, visit here.

Each tour will begin promptly at 2pm and finish at approximately 5pm. More dates from late Summer 2022 onwards will become available as demand requires. Contact Nicola Warden for queries on 028 9442 6939.