Almost 27,000 farmers have applied to join the Green Low Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS), the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed.

Mr Simon Coveney also released more details of the first tranche of applications for GLAS, Ireland's new agri-environment scheme.

GLAS is co funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Some of the highlights identified by Minister Coveney were:

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• 180,000 ha of permanent pasture will be conserved

• 8,000 km of water courses will be protected,

• 40,000 ha of endangered bird habitat will be brought under sustainable management

• 50,000 ha of other Natura habitat will be protected

• 1,300km of new hedgerows will be planted

• 2,000 new groves of native trees will be established

• 1,000 new orchards of traditional Irish varieties will be planted

• 6,000 km of stone walls will be protected

• 6,000 new habitats will be created for threatened solitary bee species

• 90,000 bird boxes and 80,000 bat boxes will be erected

• 2,700 commonages will be brought under new Commonage Management Plans

• 3,000 archaeological monuments will be protected

• 8,000 ha of wild bird cover will be planted, providing up to 12,000 tonnes of seed for wild birds.

(CD/MH)