A Co. Down farmer and wildlife conservationist has highlighted inadequacies in Northern Ireland’s current agri-environment legislation, referring to it as the “ludicrous situation in the north”.
Over the past decade, David Sandford‘s 185ac tillage farm in Strangford, Co. Down, has proven to be a much needed sanctuary for barn owls, whose population is in peril, with less than an estimated 30 breeding pairs remaining in Northern Ireland.
Alongside expert support from conservationists at Ulster Wildlife, Sandford has had eight nesting boxes erected on various locations on his farm and has deployed a form of farm management which sustains a thriving habitat for the endangered bird of prey.
This has mainly consisted in the establishment of rough grass margins around his tillage fields, which are crucial in ensuring a bountiful food source for barn owls who feed off the mice and shrews that reside there.
His efforts have spawned 19 owlets over the course of six years and have once again been rewarded, as he celebrates the fledging of four new chicks on his farm.
Environmental Farming Scheme
The self proclaimed “wildlife nerd” had been in receipt of grants from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) under the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS), which helped fund his initial conservation efforts, however for the past six years, Sandford has been left saddled with its entire financial burden after his five-year EFS remit ended.
“I have a technology demonstration farm and I can afford to keep my habitats in place at my own expense, but the average farmer really wouldn’t be able to do that,” he said.
Currently, there are no financial incentives for veteran conservationists like Sandford to continue their work to preserve wildlife on their farms in Northern Ireland if they have already availed of grants from the time restricted EFS.
This stands in marked contrast with the provisions in place to support wildlife initiatives in other parts of the UK, as well as in Ireland, noted Sandford, which he believes stems from the Stormont Executive’s three-year absence from government.
While Sandford commended Stormont’s new Minister of Agriculture, Andrew Muir, on his promising start in government and his capacity to “get around the table”, he fears that “there’s a lot of talk, but not enough finance”.
Sandford is currently lobbying DAERA alongside representatives from Ulster Wildlife, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and Nature Friendly Framing Network to establish a more inclusive wildlife support scheme to cater for farmers like him who fall outside EFS’ margins.
“Well, it’s crazy when you look at what’s happening down south and also across the water in England with ELMS (Environmental Land Management schemes) which has been rolled out at pace with lots of money behind them.
“[Meanwhile] we [Northern Irish farmers] are sitting here sort of looking at ourselves, questioning why we aren’t being supported as well and what we have done wrong, so to speak.”
“We need to get some very attractive schemes in place that encompass what farmers need and what wildlife needs, and I know we can do a whole lot more in this part of the world, which is one of the most wildlife depleted areas in the British Isles and also on the island of Ireland.
“There’s a lot to be done and we need some help,” Sandford stressed.
Owl conservation
Senior conservation officer with Ulster Wildlife, Katy Bell, shared Sandford’s concerns about the inadequacies of Northern Ireland’s wildlife support system.
She has urged DAERA to enshrine further measures for barn owls within its new agri-environment scheme – Farming for Nature, which is due to replace EFS but for now, remains in the development stages pending a prospective launch in 2026.
Bell is responsible for coordinating plans to regenerate Northern Ireland’s barn owl numbers, which have experienced rapid declines in recent years due to “agricultural intensification, habitat loss, a lack of nest sites and increased use of rodenticides”.
She works alongside farmers and landowners to establish a “nature recovery network approach” to barn owl conservation, soliciting advice on best farming practices to support their habitats and through the monitoring of suitable locations for nest boxes.
She encourages any farmers who are interested in providing a potential home for the endangered barn owl to get in touch with Ulster Wildlife.
“We need farmers that are interested and willing to put provisions in place, but we also need those farmers to be supported financially, otherwise we won’t see our barn owl population spread,” Bell said.
Sandford joined Bell’s call for farmer who are sympathetic to the plight of the barn owl, detailing the myriad of benefits to be gained from farming with wildlife in mind.
Not only does his barn owl conservation prove to be a rewarding practice emotionally, it also proves financially fruitful through it’s capacity to control aphids and rodents, reducing and/or even eliminating the need for rodenticides and pesticides on farms.
“Wildlife is a great barometer as to whether we’re doing things right or wrong on our farm. And if you don’t see any wildlife, you should ask yourself, why not?
“I think we need to get away from the idea that the only thing our farms should be doing is producing copious amounts of food. Of course, we’ve got to produce lots of food because thats what pays the bills.
“But we need to make more room for wildlife on our farms. I think we’ll have a much better farm and a much better asset to leave to those who come after us,” Sandford said.
