Minister of State Tony Killeen has confirmed that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will visit the Burren region over the coming weeks to be briefed on the BurrenLIFE Project.The visit by Minister Brendan Smith follows his decision to invest EUR1 million in the project each year for the next three years. According to Minister Killeen: “In recent months, I have briefed my colleague Minister Smith on the important undertaken by the BurrenLIFE Project including its promotion of high environmental value farming in the Burren, which has positive knock on effects for tourism in the region."
The Burren-based T.D. expressed his delight that funding has this week been approved for the project. “Considering the very difficult budgetary situation faced by the Department, this announcement is a reflection of the valuable work undertaken by BurrenLIFE. During the pilot phase of the project significant progress was made in developing a model for sustainable agriculture in the Burren - a model that is designed to support conservation farming practices, protect habitats, including Special Areas of Conservation designated under the EU Habitats Directive, and ensure that farmers are supported to continue to farm the Burren”, explained Minister Killeen.
He continued: “Having fully briefed Minister Smith on the work of BurrenLIFE, I am delighted to see that the Department of Agriculture is now centrally involved in the roll-out of farming for conservation across the wider Burren. I look forward to accompanying the Minister to North Clare and South Galway during his upcoming visit to the Burren”, concluded Minister Killeen.
