FarmPEAT
Farming with nature in the midland raised bog landscape
About the Project
The FarmPEAT Project is an EIP (European Innovation Partnership) led by Wetland Surveys Ireland (WSI) and partnered with Community Wetlands Forum (CWF), Irish Rural Link (IRL), Umeras Community Development (UCD) and O’Connor Pyne & Co.
The Project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. The FarmPEAT (Farm Payments for Ecological and Agricultural Transitions) Project is developing a locally-led, innovative, results-based farm scheme for farmers who manage lands that surround some of Ireland’s finest remaining raised bogs. Raised bogs represent one of the most valuable natural ecosystems in Ireland and the agricultural land in the transitional zone surrounding these bogs can play an important role in maintaining and enhancing their long-term conservation value.
FarmPEAT Programme
The FarmPEAT programme will reward farmers for improved management of habitats on peat soils along with other important landscape features such as eskers, field boundaries and watercourses. The programme will be results-based whereby farmers will get paid depending on the scores they achieve, with higher scores, indicating higher environmental quality, getting higher payments.
How will the FarmPEAT Programme work for the farmer?
Once your application has been successful the project team will survey your farm during the summer season to score your farmland habitats. The project team will then work with each participant to develop a farm plan and identify possible actions aimed specifically at improving the score of their farm. All of these actions are entirely voluntary and it is up to the farmer whether they decide to progress with the actions or not.
An additional payment will be made to the farmer to help fund any supporting actions completed and it is hoped that the score of the farm will increase in subsequent years.
Key Facts
- The natural transitional area around raised bogs (lagg zone) is vital for supporting raised bog ecosystems.
- Raised bogs provide a range of ecosystem services, including biodiversity, clean water and carbon storage.
- Pressures from land use in these transitional zones have altered the ecosystem, resulting in the loss of these important ecosystem services
- The FarmPEAT project aims to work with farmers in these transitional zones to help restore these important ecosystems and the services they provide.
How to Apply
Complete an expression of interest form (available to download on www.farmpeat.ie) and send it to the project team.
Eligible Areas
Farmers farming land surrounding any of the following eight raised bogs can apply to join the FarmPeat agri-environmental programme:
- Ballynamona Bog and Corkip Lough, Roscommon
- Clara Bog, Offaly
- Clonboley Bog, Roscommon
- Cloncrow (New Forest) Bog, Westmeath
- Daingean Bog, Offaly
- Ferbane Bog, Offaly
- Raheenmmore Bog, Offaly
- Umeras Bog, Kildare / Offaly
See detailed maps on our website www.farmpeat.ie
Project Documents
Our Partners & Sponsors
To find out more about the project visit our website or follow us on social media. You can also get in touch with us by phone or email.
FarmPEAT Project, c/o Irish Rural Link Moate Business Park, Clara Rd. Moate, County Westmeath Ireland, N37 W9R0
The FarmPEAT project is an EIP (European Innovation Partnership) project being administered by Nature Based Agri Solutions Ltd. The Project is funded by the EU Recovery Instrument Funding under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2022.
