Moves to protect Burren landscape sought

The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, has been urged to put in place resources to protect the Burren landscape.

The chairman of the Burren IFA, Mr Michael Davoren, has predicted that, if the resources are not provided, more farmers will retire or go part-time.

"If this is allowed to happen, the Burren will be destroyed. Hazel will take over, flora will be smothered and built heritage will be lost and it is a scenario that presents a major problem for environmentalists, archaeologists and farmers alike," Mr Davoren said.

It was an ideal time for Mr Walsh to create pilot projects and put in place specific measures to make farming an attractive way of life to the next generation in the area.

Mr Davoren was speaking at the publication of a new book on the area, Farming and the Burren in which the role of farmers as guardians of the Burren's heritage is highlighted.

The Teagasc publication also documents the environmental damage brought about by the massive drop in people farming the land in the last 30 years where large areas of the Burren uplands are no longer grazed, resulting in the spread of scrub.