Countryside Alliance

are stabilising with the leading projects showing sizable increases. From the onset the IRGA has enjoyed tremendous support and goodwill of the local hill farmers, who have managed the moors for generations and it is fitting that farmers are getting due recognition for their input under the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). While farmers work through the completion of their applications for the new 2015 CAP Schemes, it is rewarding to see a payment of €120 per hectare for commonage management under the Green Low Carbon Agri Environment Scheme (GLAS), which will compensate farmers for managing heather by rotational burning for the benefit of grouse and sustainable sheep numbers. Once the Land Eligibility Rules are established and the Commonage Management Plans are implemented a successful future is envisaged for the Red Grouse as the heather moors will be managed on a planned basis for sheep farming and grouse. The realignment of the moorland burning calendar with the UK will enable farmers to manage the vegetation for the benefit of all moorland breeding birds. The IRGA organise seminars and demonstration days annually for moorland management and grouse propagation and the expertise of the UK’s Heather Trust and Game Conservancy is availed of as required. This busy organisation is open for new conservation projects – for more information check out the IRGA facebook page.

Irish Red Grouse Association- Destined to benefit from CAP Reform

With the foresight of the Countryside Alliance Ireland Board, the Irish Red Grouse Association (IRGA) was established in 2010 and together with the support of the pointer and setter clubs and the Irish Hawking Association this registered charitable Conservation Trust has rekindled a love for this iconic Irish Grouse species which is totally dependant on heather for its survival. Over forty Grouse conservation projects were quickly established with another twenty at various stages of initiation. The prime objective of the IRGA is the conservation of the Red Grouse by empowering local conservation groups with management plans and subsidising predator control equipment. In recognising that the control of predation levels is critical for the propagation of grouse and other moorland birds, the projects are indebted to the local gun club members for the effective year round control of predation on the moors. Another objective of the IRGA is to monitor grouse population and the input of the gundog trialling clubs with biannual counts is establishing that grouse numbers

-Jim Fitzharris , IRGA

Countryside Alliance Ireland

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