The area of Inch Lake and surrounding wet grassland within the area referred to by the Deputy has been leased by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department under a 30 year agreement established in 2001. This area has been developed into the Inch Wildfowl Reserve. Inch Wildfowl Reserve is not a statutory nature reserve but is afforded protection by its inclusion in the Lough Swilly special protection area and by provisions of the Wildlife Acts.
My Department respects that the area referred to is a working farm and it is the provision of winter grazing and crop waste that ensures the suitability of the site for large numbers of geese and swans. My Department had a long standing Farm Plan with the previous owners of the estate and is in discussions with the current owner with the view to establishing a new plan.
Over the winter of 2017/18 concerns had been raised in relation to the clearing of existing drains and cutting of large trees in existing hedge lines on the area referred to. The cutting of trees, hedgerows and clearing of existing drains are not activities requiring my consent, as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, on areas of established grassland or cultivated land. This is due to these activities being considered unlikely to have a negative impact on the species for which the site has been designated as a special protection area.
The owner of the area referred to had carried out maintenance of the existing farm drains and cutting and trimming of hedges. These works were monitored by officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department.
It is my understanding that an application under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Regulations 2011 was received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in September 2017 from the owner of the area referred to requesting consent to clear trees and scrub in a specific area within the special protection area. That consent was granted for the carrying out of these works, which, I am advised, commenced on 23 February 2018.
