DESPITE a perception in wider society that the agri-industry is harmful to the environment, here in Fermanagh our farmers are leading the way in showing how to work the land while also protecting our precious local ecosystem.

Over recent years Ulster Wildlife has been working with farmers here in the county as part of its Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS). To date, a total of 858 hectares of Fermanagh’s species-rich grasslands have been surveyed and mapped as part of the scheme.

Brian Keown, who farms sheep and sucklers on 75 hectares near Garrison, is one of the many local farmers eligible for the EFS scheme. He was deemed eligible after his species-rich fields were assessed by Ulster Wildlife’s local farm facilitators.