Nia O'Malley Farming for Nature Ambassador 2021

Nia O Malley farms 60 hectares in the Slieve Aughty Mountains in Co. Galway. She took over the family farm in 2010. Since then, she has worked hard to rebuild and regenerate the farm and has done so with immense respect and consideration for the natural landscape and wildlife of the area. “Something you learn as a hill farmer is you have to adapt to the area - you can’t just come in and change things as you wish... You have to adapt to the land and work with the land, rather than forcing the land to adapt to your farming practices.”
Farming in a Hen Harrier Special Protected Area, Nia joined the Hen Harrier Programme in 2018 where she was involved in a mountain grazing project. The trial focused on increasing cattle grazing on areas of bog/heath that are dominated by Molinia grasses and pose serious fire risks. “My involvement with the hen harrier project enabled me to look at my land differently and value what I might not have valued before... The more you graze commonage, the more you will reduce the Molina grass growth and the more you will encourage other grass species to come up. This will eventually extend the grazing season on the mountain.”
Nia currently manages a small herd of Galloway cattle who play a crucial role in grazing the mountain vegetation, fertilizing the land and regenerating the soil. She has planted hedgerows and areas of native woodland around the farm - “I’m putting a lot into planting hedgerows and trees on the farm, which for me is a long-term thing - I might not see the real benefit of it. But my mother would have planted a lot of trees when she was here, and I’m benefiting from that now.”