profile

Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science

Nature Restoration Law - an Irish Farmer’s Perspective

Published about 2 years ago • 1 min read

Tommy's Outdoors

Conservation and Science

Recently I had the best podcasting experience of this year. And it’s definitely in the top 5 ever! I was invited by Bill O’Keeffe to his farm in Churchclara. Bill’s family has been farming there for the last 400 years. Being a guy whose family has been moving around between cities and countries, I can’t even begin to think how it must feel to be so rooted in a place. I got a strong suspicion however that it must feel pretty good. I think, that I might actually be jealous!

Before we sat down to record a podcast episode, Bill showed me around his farm. That’s something that all farmers do when you visit their land. As in all such cases, I could sense his pride in his work and sense of strong connection to the local community. Walking around Bill’s farm and listening to him was an opportunity to make a video to accompany the podcast episode. You can find it on my YouTube channel alongside the actual podcast episode.

Nature Restoration Law - an Irish Farmer’s Perspective

Why was the farming community so opposed to the EU’s Nature Restoration Law? Doesn’t a healthy ecosystem benefit agriculture? Isn’t the availability of additional payments for alternative use of unproductive land a good thing? Aren’t the measures built into the law sufficient to protect the actively used agricultural land? To find answers to those and other questions related to farming and biodiversity I sat down (in his kitchen) with Bill O’Keeffe a dairy farmer from Co. Kilkenny.

In case you are wondering, Bill is involved with the Irish Farmers’ Association but he spoke with me very much from his personal perspective. His family has been farming in the area for the past 400 years, so without a doubt, his perspectives on farming are different from those of people who don’t have such a sense of belonging to a place. And so we talk about farming practices and their impacts on the environment, farming communities and the looming changes. We also discuss the important difference between a farmer and a landowner.

I strive to deliver the most interesting and educational conversations with the most engaging guests about the natural environment. It is my goal to continue to deliver this content at no cost to you. However, the production of the podcast requires a significant investment of time and money. So I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Support My Work!

Join the wonderful group of people who have already donated. Simply buy me a coffee!

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science

I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.

Read more from Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science
Podcast episode cover art on a dark olive green background. Header text reads 'Tommy's Outdoors Conservation and Science', with 'Podcast' along the bottom. Inside a gold border, two photographs from a video call sit side by side. On the left, a laughing w

Conservation and Science It often happens that while recording an episode I feel the conversation could go on for three hours straight. Unfortunately, I don't have the means to pull that off comfortably. I think it's only possible in a face-to-face setting, not remotely. This episode was no different, so I think we only touched lightly on issues like badger culling or the lowering of wolf protection in the EU. And while the latter was covered at great length in my show, the former got almost...

4 days ago • 4 min read
Podcast episode cover art on a dark green background. Header text reads 'Tommy's Outdoors Conservation and Science', with 'Podcast' along the bottom. A gold-bordered photograph shows a smiling woman with long fair hair, dark-rimmed glasses and white over-

Conservation and Science Welcome back after the break! The holiday season is well behind us, so we are getting back at it. And we are getting back at it with a classic episode of the podcast, where we talk about a book about science, ecology and the current ecological state of our planet. No, it's not depressing, and no, it doesn't offer a false sense of comfort. I'm sure you'll enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. My guest Amy McEuen and I laughed a lot, and we also got into...

18 days ago • 7 min read
A smiling middle-aged man wearing glasses, black over-ear headphones and a light blue striped shirt sits in a black office chair in a living room. Behind him are white glass-fronted bookcases filled with books, a wall-mounted television on a wooden stand,

Conservation and Science Welcome to another edition of the Conservation and Science newsletter. Today I have some news about the podcast, and I'm also bringing you not one but two episodes revolving around nature-based solutions to climate change. And, oh boy, did my words about June weather being unusually hot come true. By the way, I hope you're doing well in the sweltering heat you've undoubtedly been experiencing. In these episodes we cover CO2 sequestration, the energy transition,...

3 months ago • 4 min read