Festival of Farmland Biodiversity

• Enter the Hedgerow Photo Competition
• Try the Farmland Pollinator-friendly Hedgerows online course
• Join a Farm or Hedgerow Walk
• Record farmland wildlife sightings, try Biodiversity on the Farm
• As a farmer or grower share your #farmlandbiodiversity actions (pics and reels) on social media or send to pollinators@biodiversityireland.ie and we will share them via our platforms.

Enter your best farmland hedgerow photo for these four categories:

Best blossom
Best shelter or shade for livestock
Best margin (with native wildflowers)
Best hedgerow network

We will also look for an overall best hedgerow photo that really stands out.

Entry is free, 18 years and over.

• Judging will be by a panel of specialists.
• Each category winner will receive a set of Ireland’s Biodiversity wildlife swatches.
• Overall best hedgerow photo will win a pair of binoculars.
• Enter from 1st May to midnight on 31st May 2025.

To celebrate the Festival of Farmland Biodiversity join a Farm/ Hedgerow walk, including;

• native species-rich hedgerows,
• field margins,
• ponds and wetlands,
• woodland creation and management and
• actions taken for individual species.

Join a Farm/Hedgerow walk near you, just go to the events page to find out more.

The course aims to give farmers, farm advisors and agricultural students an insight into the value of native species-rich hedgerows and the many benefits they can provide on the farm, such as, shade and shelter for livestock, nutrient buffering to protect water quality, help with flood alleviation and field drainage and a refuge for beneficial insects, birds and pollinators.

To try the free course, simply go to Farmland Pollinator-friendly Hedgerows  part of the Biodiversity Learning Platform National Biodiversity Data Centre (biodiversityireland.ie)

The ‘Biodiversity on your Farm’ project will help you learn more about the species on your farm. Every week we will focus on a different species, and share a simple farmland biodiversity management tip, find out more here 

Across the year we will be highlighting 40 species, with a focus on pollinators, to take part, send your sightings here

Here are just a few of the benefits of hedgerows to farmers:

• Hedgerows provide animals with both shelter from freezing winds in winter and shade during the summer months. This can help mitigate against stress related illnesses (Milk Fever, Grass Tetany, Mastitis, Heat Stroke, and Photosensitisation).
• Hedgerows provide a drainage mechanism, helping to soak up excess water on the land.
• A reduction in surface water in paddocks is known to help reduce a variety of animal diseases and the organisms that cause disease such as Liver Fluke.
• Help to act as a physical barrier to the movement of animals, which can decrease the spread of disease through animal-to-animal contact.
• Using hedgerows to slow winds and reduce excess soil moisture can increase grass growth.
• Provide a habitat for other beneficial insects that help with natural pest control.
• Hedgerows provide privacy and can reduce smell/noise pollution.

Hedgerows are precious habitats made up of native trees, shrubs, and flowers. They form a network of wildlife corridors across our landscape, providing food and shelter for insects, birds, and mammals.

Hedgerow management for pollinators and biodiversity needs to be considered as part of other management objectives on the farm – stock control, shelter, screening, etc.

The first step is to assess your hedgerows and then make a plan for the farm.

Find out more in the ‘How to guide of Hedgerows for pollinators’:

Take a look at the ‘Farmland: actions to help pollinators’ guidelines, or find other resources and information about our work with farmers here.