A Connemara farmer has challenged the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to take him to court over works he is carrying out on a special area of conservation. Loch Con Aortha resident Seosamh Ó Suilleabháin claims the Green, Low-carbon, Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) is so unworkable it makes it impossible for farmers like him to maintain land sustainably. Mr Ó Suilleabháin keeps Connemara ponies on 20 acres, some 17 acres of which is within the Connemara Bog Complex SAC. Mr Ó Suilleabháin said he was given an option to switch to GLAS when in the third year of that five-year cycle. He was warned he could be taken to court for not complying with the EU Habitats and Birds directives.

Source: Irish Examiner December 27, 2019 06:45 UTC