News
Pearl Mussel Project at Teagasc Beef Show
Smashing weather at the Teagasc Open Day BEEF2018 in Grange, Co. Meath today and a great opportunity for team members to meet with farmers and hear about their views on joining the scheme. Good chance to meet other groups including Farming with Nature - BRIDE Project, Ballinderry Rivers Trust, and The Waters and Communities Office.
#pearlmusselproject #musselrivers #beef2018
Pearl Mussel Project attends RBAPS project seminar
Members of the Pearl Mussel Project attended the RBAPS (Results Based Agri-environmental Payment Schemes) project seminar in the Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, to publicise our project and make contacts with other groups running similar programmes who have gained valuable experiences, from which the Pearl Mussel Project could benefit from. The results of the presentations convinced everyone of the value of the results based approach than ever, whereby the better the environmental result (or product), the higher the payment to farmer. Super advice provided by RBAPS Co. Leitrim, Hen Harrier Project, AranLIFE in their presentations, on designing and implementing results based agri-environmental programmes. Now time to develop the Pearl Mussel Project results based programme to help improve environmental conditions for our freshwater pearl mussel!!
About RBAPS:
Results-based programmes are a farmer-centered approach to farming and conservation, which sees farmers paid for both work undertaken and, most importantly, for the quality of delivery of the environmental results.
Over the course of 3.5 years, the Results-based Agri-environmental Payment Scheme (RBAPS) project trialled a mode of paying farmers for the quality of biodiversity on their farms in three differing pilot locations of County Leitrim and the Shannon Callow floodplain in Ireland, and the Navarra region of Spain.
This seminar presents the experiences of the RBAPS and other projects, including the AranLife project and the Hen Harrier and BRIDE EIPs, and will explore how payments for the quality of farmland biodiversity can work in reality.
This event is aimed at anyone interested in the future of agri-environment programmes, particularly farmers, farming authorities, farm advisors, administrators and those interested in European Innovation Partnerships, particularly those with a biodiversity focus.
https://rbaps.eu
Pearl Mussel Project at Teagasc farm open days
Dates for your diary:
The Pearl Mussel Project team will be hosting an information stand at the following Teagasc open days:
Teagasc Beef 2018 Open Day - for beef farmers in Grange, Co. Meath on 26th of June
Teagasc Sheep 2018 Open Day - for sheep farmers in Athenry on the 7th of July
#BEEF2018 and #SHEEP2018
Pearl mussel survey techniques
Members of the Pearl Mussel Project team undertook a day long training workshop on survey techniques for freshwater pearl mussel in the Kerry Blackwater catchment yesterday. The course was presented by Dr. Evelyn Moorkens with assistance from Kerry LIFE project staff, and included wading and snorkeling techniques, use of bathoscope for counting mussels, working with the bank manager who records counts and health and safety issues. All of the team passed the course and obtained their survey licences.
#pearlmusselproject #musselrivers
Pearl Mussel Project launch
The Pearl Mussel Project team and project special advisors attended the first meeting of the project in Kenmare today. During the day long meeting a series of excellent presentations were given on the Pearl Mussel Project plans (Patrick Crushell), the biology and threats to pearl mussel (Evelyn Moorkens), farm plan guidelines (Derek McLoughlin) and lessons to be learned from the Kerry LIFE project (Richard O’Callaghan).
The indoor session was followed by a visit to one of the Kerry LIFE demonstration farms in the Kerry Blackwater catchment to see how farm plans have been successfully introduced on one of the farms in the programme with the help of one of local farmers, Mr. Dan O'Sullivan.
Attendees included: PMP: Patrick Crushell (Project Manager), Derek McLoughlin (Project Scientist), Peter Foss (Publicity and Administrator), Mary Catherine Gallagher (Project Ecologist), Con Curtin (Agri Consultant to PMP), Brendan Kirwan (Project Ecologist, WSI), Daireann McDonnell (Project expert advisor).
Kerry Life: Richard O'Callaghan (Project Manager), Paul Phelan (Project Scientist), Padraig Cronin (Farm Advisor).
The overriding message from the day for the future of Freshwater Pearl Mussel in Ireland was summed up by Dr. Evelyn Moorkens:
Fix river flows - fix everything.
#pearlmusselproject #musselrivers
