Important legacy for Heather the Hen Harrier as new measures to be introduced – Coghlan

Fine Gael Kerry Senator and Seanad Chief Whip, Paul Coghlan, has welcomed the progress made by the Minster for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, in introducing new supports for those farming Hen Harrier areas.
“Hen Harriers were catapulted into the public domain earlier this year when Heather the Hen Harrier was tragically shot down in the Waterville area. Hen harriers are listed as a protected species with only 100 pairs of the birds left in Ireland and as such it is an offence under the Wildlife Act to kill them.
“However the importance of protecting this endangered species must be carefully balanced with supporting the farmers who are farming the land. For this reason I am very pleased to see the progress that Minister Coveney is making in this area.
“Minister Coveney intends to introduce a further measure under the Locally Led Agri-Environment Scheme (LLAES) to cater for farmers who are farming large tracts of Hen Harrier Land.
“This new LLAES will be included in an amendment of Ireland’s RDP which is to be lodged with the EU Commission in the Spring. Consultation is currently underway and I would encourage all those affected by this issue to participate.
“The farmers working in Hen Harrier areas are already eligible for GLAS and could earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS plus.
“This Government has made up to €23 million per annum available for Hen Harrier actions in GLAS and GLAS plus, an increase from €3.5 million on offer from the previous Farmland Birds Scheme.
 “It is vital that we do everything we can to protect the existing Hen Harriers population in Ireland and that includes supporting the farmers working the land.
“Again, I would encourage all those who are interested to get involved with the consultation.”