Agriculture dominates the land area in Northern Ireland with almost 60% of the land area covered by grassland. The last half of the last century saw large changes in the way this land was managed. Well fertilised highly productive grasslands now dominate the landscape, of which approximately 70% are classified as improved
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Less productive grasslands are now mainly restricted to the wetter and thinner soils found particularly in the upland margins. Most of these grasslands depend on traditional farming practices and associated low stocking levels. This maintains the low fertility which benefits a diversity of short and slow growing flowering plants.
These flowering plants are outcompeted by faster growing grasses such as rye-grass in the more productive grasslands. Some of these unimproved grasslands are exceptionally rich in plant species but they are an increasingly rare habitat in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Countryside Survey(PDF 2.56 Mb) results have shown that less than 5% of our grasslands are species rich.
Arable farmland supports a range of species including specialised plants dependent on disturbed soil and seed-eating birds.
Mixed and arable farming formerly occurred throughout Northern Ireland but is now only locally frequent in areas such as east Down.
Stubble fields which are left unploughed over the winter and arable fields with broad uncultivated margins are particularly important in maintaining species dependent on arable farming. Recent changes in agricultural policy, whereby farmers receive an area based payment instead of a stock based payment, may threaten some habitats which require active management.
The Grazing Animals Project promotes grazing as a means of conserving habitats and promotes the conservation of traditional livestock breeds.
There are also agri-environment schemes available which give financial encouragement to farmers for adopting farming practices that maintain and enhance priority species and habitats. The current scheme is called the Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme.
Approximately 40% of the farmed area in Northern Ireland is currently under the agri-environmental schemes and The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is aiming to increase this figure to 50% by 2013.