08 September 2009

By Ian Browne, Countryside Management Branch, DARD.

The option to create ungrazed grass margins along waterways and other field boundaries is available to Northern Ireland farmers participating in DARD’s agri-environment schemes. The margins must be at least two metres wide and fenced off to exclude livestock, with the only management necessary being the cutting and removal of vegetation once in every three years, cutting after the 15 July.

There are many advantages in having well vegetated margins, known as riparian zones, along farm rivers, streams or sheughs. A vegetated margin can help improve bank stability, thereby reducing erosion and silting up of the waterway. A margin can also contribute to water quality improvement by filtering out sediment and nutrients in surface run-off from the adjoining fields. It should be noted, however, that restrictions on the land application of slurry, manure and dirty water under the Nitrates Action Programme continue to apply even where a vegetated margin exists.

Whitfield Ford from Lisbellaw has been a participant of the Countryside Management Scheme for several years. He recently decided to enhance the biodiversity value of his farm by creating a riparian zone as part of his Scheme.  The riparian zone is adjacent to a tributary of Upper Lough Erne which forms part of the boundary of the farm.

The area of fenced off grassland is a suitable habitat for small farmland birds and provides cover for a range of mammals, including the Irish hare. Riparian zone habitats are particularly important for aquatic insects because it is where many spend part of their life cycle. These aquatic insects provide an important food supply for a wide range of birds, including dippers, sand martins, swallows, wrens, chaffinches and wagtails.

For further information on the creation of an ungrazed grass margin including riparian zones, contact Countryside Management Branch, at your local DARD office.

Notes to Editors

All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, tel: 028 9052 4619.