Blog by Colum Delaney, RSPB NI Policy Advocacy Officer.
Farmers across the country have been getting behind our campaign urging the Stormont Executive to adequately fund wildlife-friendly farming schemes – will you join them?
In a recent open letter to the First and Deputy First Ministers, a number of the leading local environmental NGOs joined together to call upon the Executive to bridge a funding gap of more than £100 million for the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020, the pot of money dedicated towards wildlife-friendly farming, among other rural initiatives to help keep our countryside thriving. This funding gap was as a direct result of the parties failing to agree what proportion of total farming money available, should be devoted to the RDP for the next seven years.
The RDP is vitally important for our wildlife, because the environmental schemes it funds help farmers to protect some of our most iconic species like Irish hare and yellowhammer. Well funded and well managed ‘agri-environment’ schemes are one of the best ways to reverse falling numbers in our most threatened wildlife and protect the places they live. This agri-environment funding is integral to many farmers’ businesses, rewarding them for the public goods, like protecting wildlife, that the market just doesn’t pay for. This £100 million plus shortfall, could cost us our most nature-friendly businesses and some of the farmland wildlife we love the most.
We believe that these farmers should be supported to continue carrying out their amazing work. Having spoken to many local farmers, there is deep concern that agri-environment schemes could be at real risk – if the Executive do not see this as a priority.
So, we embarked on a ‘road trip’, visiting those farmers and farm families who support our campaign to “Give Wildlife Friendly Farming A Future”. And you can meet them on Twitter! Over the coming weeks, we’ll be tweeting their photos to those making the vital funding decisions at Stormont, so that they are aware of the strength of feeling amongst many people in rural communities.
You can help us show Ministers those faces of wildlife-friendly farming – join the conversation by re-Tweeting @rspbni’s #fundnature photos and tell your Ministers what wildlife you’d miss most from our countryside.
If you live in Northern Ireland you can also raise this with your local MLAs to let them know you want the Executive to match fund wildlife-friendly farming. You can find out how to contact them via www.theyworkforyou.com/, and some tips on how to write your letter in our campaign guide here.
You can make a real difference, please help us by making your voice heard.
Alan, Richard Sarah, Jill and Emma Liggett (and Ruby the dog) Corbo, County Tyrone
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