A voice for nature 🌍 working on IE/EU Environmental Policy/Advocacy. All opinions my own. Roscommon 🐏 Connacht 🦅 Ireland ☘️https://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mlvea7rqfk25Larger-scale farmers want to free up land and public money by targeting the CAP supports that currently go to small and marginal farms. It feels like every man for himself. https://www.farmersjournal.ie/amp/sheep/news/shots-fired-in-active-farmer-cap-debate-91541815 May 2026 12:42 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlvea7rqfk25https://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mlpsw5e74k2q'I miss my old life': Doctor severely injured in hit-and-run speaks out on road safety crisis https://www.thejournal.ie/oireachtas-sean-owens-7037807-May2026/13 May 2026 07:49 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlpsw5e74k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mlllnch54c2mAnother important site for nature purchased by the State. Ireland is below the EU average for area of land protected for nature. We need to continue expanding our reserve network. Major conservation milestone with purchase of Mayo corncrake breeding site https://share.google/NivF0wSu1BXUhSOGo11 May 2026 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlllnch54c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mljnnkzfks25Wet woodland supports a rich diversity of woodland and wetland species. Its striking to see yellow flag iris in the ground layer.10 May 2026 20:59 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljnnkzfks25https://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mlbiodem722fBefore Doug Tompkins there was Ted Turner. Rest easy cowboy. https://share.google/Sl3WPNd6aj24XeXiw07 May 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbiodem722fhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3ml3qaslb4c2lMore clarity needed on Nature Restoration regulations - There is strong concensus between farming reps and environmentalists on the need for dedicated long-term funding for nature restoration, and that the State must lead from the from on public lands. https://share.google/cd8n9Zki7JbXuBGn505 May 2026 08:08 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml3qaslb4c2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkwoviywrs2c"We have...normalised something that would have struck our grandparents as shocking and utterly broken. The facts tell the story. In the 1980s about 500 Irish rivers were classed as the very best of the best. Today, there are about 20." https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2026/05/03/is-there-an-irish-river-i-can-drink-from-without-vomiting/03 May 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkwoviywrs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkuvfy6nn22mGene editing is not de-extinction. While I think there is a role for cloning in conservation (genetic rescue) the kind of gene editing carried out by Colossal Biosciences is an expensive circus, when funding is needed to prevent species going extinct in the first place. https://share.google/LY1OQnH0ULEqp47Dl02 May 2026 14:52 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuvfy6nn22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkuufxce6s2mPeople care about losing the natural world — politics must catch up https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41836781.html02 May 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuufxce6s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mksocjjfss2xThe Independent Advisory Council for Nature Restoration achieved a level of concensus that few would have thought possible. There is a lot to be learned and carried forward. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorials/2026/04/30/the-irish-times-view-on-irelands-nature-plan-implementation-must-not-fail/01 May 2026 17:39 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksocjjfss2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkoz6ilkuk2dIn Brussels, there is a push to drag farming policy backwards — to reduce farming to a race for the highest output at lowest cost. Small farmers should stand with environmentalists against this, because the end game is clear: small family farms are on the line https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/news/farmers-with-off-farm-jobs-face-battle-to-avoid-exclusion-from-cap-91326130 Apr 2026 06:43 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkoz6ilkuk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkn4loymzk2iI’m incredibly proud to have contributed to the Independent Advisory Council on Nature Restoration. I’m even prouder to have become a father today. I couldn’t make the launch of the IAC recommendations, but if I had attended, this is what I would have said.29 Apr 2026 12:39 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn4loymzk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkkw2i3mrs24Our food model is broken. It doesn't deliver food sovereignty, sustainability, a fair price, or certainty for farmers. Our taxes, our farmers, and the land are being sacrificed to fatten a minority of middlemen, oil autocrats, and multinationals. https://m.independent.ie/farming/comment/hannah-quinn-mulligan-weve-built-a-food-system-that-works-best-for-everyone-except-farmers/a4247228.html28 Apr 2026 15:37 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkkw2i3mrs24https://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkkifw25n22pSchools should not be a battleground for vested interests...this should not be a conversation that needs to be had. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Apr 2026 11:32 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkkifw25n22phttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkhqujk5uc2oSo much wisdom, truth, and hope in this article. A broken vessel cannot carry water, nor can a broken soul carry the grief and hope needed to help heal the withering tree of life. https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-emotional-price-of-conservation-work/27 Apr 2026 09:26 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkhqujk5uc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkhpcqfb6s2gMin Heydon highlighting the agrifood sectors exposure to geopolitical shocks — from reliance on imported fossil fuels / fertilisers to vulnerable global supply chains These are risks NGOs have warned about for yrs. Expect political capital to de invested in maintaining BAU during the EU presidency27 Apr 2026 08:58 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkhpcqfb6s2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mkfckjpo7s25Teagasc suffer from a crisis of imagination, locking forestry & farming into intertia when we need vision & leadership Tweaking a vulnerable Sitka spruce model—instead of imagining diverse climate resilient alternatives Windthrow and what we can do to build resilience https://share.google/fC7Mqc9UQGyhDyOZQ26 Apr 2026 10:04 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkfckjpo7s25https://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mk637puwss2xDeer management is a necessary reality of native woodland conservation. Those of us who want to see more woodlands in our landscape really need to accept the necessity and see the opportunity in deer hunting. Thanks for raising awareness @ellamcsweeney.bsky.social https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-moncrieff/how-does-deer-culling-work23 Apr 2026 13:04 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk637puwss2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mk35sznmw22lThis Earth Day, I’m grateful to be a small part of this great community of life. The least I can do is try to give something back and to be a good ancestor for the generations to come. Image: NASA22 Apr 2026 09:13 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk35sznmw22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/fintankelly.bsky.social/post/3mjtsdejs3c22The Irish public bailed out banks like PTSB & carried that burden for years. Now, we should be asking how people can benefit from its sale. Instead, most of the proceeds are set to be channelled toward subsidising fossil fuel costs driven by wars of choice. We need to kick the fossil fuel addiction19 Apr 2026 10:59 +0000at://did:plc:eg7dcirv4e4iy3rbnflb43lr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjtsdejs3c22