The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, today congratulated the BurrenLife Project on its success this week in jointly winning a prestigious EU LIFE Nature award in Brussels, following a public vote. The Project was victorious in the Nature and Biodiversity category. The award was presented by Environmental Commissioner Vella to Brendan Dunford and Sharon Parr of the Burren Team.

Minister Creed commented “I am delighted for the Burren project to receive this recognition and it is a huge achievement for an Irish project to win one of these prestigious awards. My Department, through our Rural Development Programmes has supported appropriate farming  in the Burren region for some time and the current Burren scheme is central to meeting our common objectives of conserving the unique heritage, environment and communities of the Burren.  The present Burren Programme, supported by my Department and colleagues in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, builds on the success of the BurrenLife Project and the Farming for Conservation Programme which ran from 2011 to 2015.”

 A total of 15 projects were selected as finalists for the keenly contested awards by an expert jury, who looked at their long-term sustainability, communication potential and broader impact on a national, European or global level. Projects were also assessed for innovation, transferability, environmental benefits and improvement of conservation status.

There is a long tradition of farming in the Burren which began over 6000 years ago and the Burren Programme is, with the Department's support, now working to ensure that that tradition continues into the future and that the unique biodiversity of the Burren will be protected for generations to come. There are currently 320 farmers in the Programme and a third tranche will invite applications before the end of 2017. The overall target for the new Burren Programme is to attract some 450 farmers into the scheme. 

Concluding the Minister said, “This Burren project is an example of innovative locally-led projects under our Rural Development Programme which factor in local characteristics and ensure that agricultural activity is undertaken with regard to the local heritage and environmental priorities. I would like to congratulate the Burren Team and the participating farmers on their well deserved recognition and we look forward to working with them on developing this project into the future”

To view this Press Release as a PDF: DAFMPR 100/2017 (pdf 365Kb) 

Date Released: 02 June 2017