An amount of €1.5 million will be provided by The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to support Irish involvement in a new European agricultural biodiversity research network.
Teagasc will contribute €288,000 in support in the form of three Walsh Scholarships for the European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) funding venture.
The biodiversity research network project will study approaches to improving biodiversity at a landscape level, as well as identifying opportunities and obstacles to diversification that can assist to reinvigorate farming practices.
Minister of State at the department of agriculture with responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon, says that the joint study will bring Irish and international researchers together. “A central element of the Food Vision 2030 Strategy is to restore and enhance biodiversity. Investment in research in this area is key to delivering on this commitment,” he said.
Senator Pippa Hackett, the Minister of State with responsibility for biodiversity and land use, also welcomes Irish involvement in the network. “I have regularly highlighted the essential role that farmers play in addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis.”
“I believe that support for research in this area is a critical enabler for those farmers to implement practices which will enhance the wide range of habitats and ecology on their farms,” she says.
“Along with my colleague Minister Heydon, I strongly encourage Irish researchers to apply to this important call, which will protect and enhance our biological diversity but also lead to the development and implementation of sustainable and diverse agricultural production practices,” she added.