THE IRISH GROUSE CONSERVATION TRUST TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The Trustees FKesent their r•port and accounts tr the year ended 31 2023. Tho aLYounts hovo been propmred in aecordance wilh the 8ccounllng policies set out in nota I to the accounts and cOmFY with the Tru•Vs Memorandum and ArtKles ofAssOation. the Companies Act 2006 and 'AcenI1 and Rep)rting by Charities: Stat8ment ol Recommended Pr•e applkable to tharftl88 preparing thelr ac£ounts In ac¢ordance ¥th the Finanal Reporting Standard applirAble In tho UK and Rapublic of Ireland (FRS 102>. {a8 amend8d lar acc4)untlng pertod$ commenclng from 1 Januory 20161 Obhafjv•• •ftd aallvlll The Tnjsfs obl8ds as set out in the Momornndum and Artlcles of Asfjodolon arn to ngeI th• depkiad grou8e powlatlons and tholr natural uplarrfl hobltats In Irnd. IGCT Alm• IGCT8 aims arn as follow•.' - To ueale a sustalnabkg ind viabl• Gmu60 Moor, whifa at tha wn• Ilm• Impron9 h8bitAt and b10dlr$Ify for athaf uplfind species. - To Inform and help r•sofve the long8tandlng h•n h•nlerlr•J grou d•b•t• on the ba618 of an equal ParthhIP of alFlni•r•thd pirUe8. , - To ralse awargnes•'. Th• IGCT alm¥ to educat• and d•mon•trats but pra(alca In upland mnagem•nt paftswthlp with DAERA (Gra•nmontAgrf(¥Jfiural College>. . A wlndow of opportunny exlsts lo fomi partnershlps llh lond owners, gov•mm•nt bodl•8 and othvr¥ to knprovo farnilng prndce6 and consefvatlon, and help fulfil EU +Jbiecth$ gpoclllc to Ir•hnd togoth•r wlth UK obJecll¥•s. Aohl•v•m•nt• and p•rf•rnMno• T IGCT created a unlquo parthernhlp In lh• Unlt•d lQydorn uxrtexl wlth tho DepartrnW of AgfvJknirn, EnrOnml & Rural De¥•bpm•nt (DAER4). tho RSPB, tho Northern lrnFand Envlronm•nt Agoncy {NIEA) and local Jtakeholdarn. Thls group 18 Called th• H•athld Ragenerntlon Partnershlp. wllh IGCT reprewNaUon from both lan Glondinning (Mamglng [Xréct} and Mwlln Becker(Gamekeepgr). Tho GHRP meets qu8Atedy and h•• flnalTr•ad a M••t•r Plan. whlth w• ar• In our Nlnth y•ar of. The Master Plan akns to Inft>rn and N nece•Mry. thango curr•nt DAERA polky rngardlng thelr County8ld• Manag8m8nt S&m• {CMS), whlch 58 currnnty rolled out throughoul Northem Ir•land on a unNomi buls. Tho current CMS doo8 not tako irrto con8klerallon habttat manog8m8nt prnCS for Iho rngenerallon of Gmu881.•. sto(iThJ den8iV85. grazlng roglm8• and Moortand magement pr8cllcg$. Landtr•m•r8 who aro nol slgn•d up to CMS are currgnuy exempt Ir¢m any Europew OF UK18glslatlon. Th18 arrnngam•nt Is anomthus and. ITr our Vi8w, polky needs to becom• more allgned and cohgronL The Master Plan is th• most slgnmcont athlev•m•nt ID date. It i• hoped th18 document wlll rwuli In a ¢hango In gov•mment leg181alon, as onfDr(¥d by DAERA, malnly In relallon to th• bumirvj of 'blanket bo¢ whlch 18 Jrrenuy prohlblted wtthin the Countyslde Managemont Sehémo (CMS) but allowed oulslde the sthem•. V remain confident that relearch aver the noxt fow yurn wlll P}Ve beyond doubt that the bumlng ol'blanket bog. can deliver a benofit both for heath land r8g8noraknn and wildlife. To date the Hoather Management Prolecl ha$ proven a signeant Inryea80 of heathor, up to 1IyA. in upland habRat aernu the project stt•. alBo provkle (xSU11aI10n to Nl Fire & Re6¢ue 8er¥lc4 regardl wlldffes and cthrollad Iather bumlng. RSPB hav• been supporuve and helpfvl lo the IGCT In natyJtlalion8 With other parties over the Master Plan. The Game and Wihlltfe ConseNatlon Trust (G&WCT) have assisted our progrnss. Th• IGCT hAS helped to inltiats knplom8ntation of the DE4RA 2L103 Red Grou88 Adion Plan. Ther• Is also strong support for the work ol IGCT from loeal 5takeholdar5 as il wil bfirvJ clarty to th• curr•nl policy and may promde opportunities for further divernifution of fanning activrlies.
THE IRISH GROUSE CONSERVATION TRUST TRUSTE£S' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED> FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AIARCH 2023 We have been tho maln advisory b&Jy helplng DEARA to wt fomard a Red Gn)use Acaion Plan Delr¥ery Group. Group has made several presentalions tr) Government Ministers to dats, namely Edwin Poots OE4RA. Thg IGCT is the leading agrlculbjtal body in Norlhem Ireland who can holp Government fvlfil EU Polielos for both GnxM and Raptors. Parts of the Mastsr Plan have already been adopted to set policy wilhii Norlhem Ireland lo assist upland manag•m•nt. The IGCT Is W0.n9 successfully wlthin an SPA (Spedal Protection Arna) and has 8UC¢888fv11y irmased Grouso numbers by 18(M)% sinL bncep1m. Th• IGCT fadlllat•s a Gamokeewrn h•ld •t Gr••nmount whlth h•8 woven su•$fUl and l• nthy In Sts ffleenth Yr. Th• IGCT won tho Gold Award at th0 2019 wosWu8 Puf Awards In reeognlkn for118 m•able work In MrtaN1 manallamwt whlch alky•Md It to ary8st and reverse th8 decllne of the populallon Of19h Grou58. Tho Purdfry Awards havg boon held annually slnce 1999 and soek to pronM)te a whlor apprnciation ol th8 outStandw ggme 1 halAtat c<)n8aMknn wort carrled out by shoot• tlwoughwt the UK. 57 hoclam (140.85 acrn8) of dDckluou• for••t hovo boon r•movod from Glornyhory HUI F4rn and ¢>)nv•W to recoverlng booland. Ilhdors we robjmlw to tho recov•rfng WarKI sh as RedBhank. Goldfjn Ho¥•r and Laywlng wlth Ih058 8p8d•i ne•llng on silo. Curfw chlc&8 Ilodgdd to Il&ht from Glomthery and Its hlnterland• kn 2022, a record addltlon to the populallon of th• UIQ A succ•88 whlth ha• beon athl•vod In cooperalwjn b•iweon I IGCT and the RSPB. Th• IGCT propoa• to r••tore 250 acre8 P8, of hummock rank ho by reseedLng lo athlm a healthy habltat ol Ilorn and fauna on th0 of the (lkntsry Hlll Fann. In dohw arKt research PTov•n, thls prncU¢e could then b• applled thnmffjhout th• uand1 and Indudad under anvironm•ntal f•rni 8thome•. FIMnol•l rnvl•w It th Iha polty of th• TNst Ihat Unrest whlth havo not b•en d•sSynat•d far • spednc u8• should malntained at a l•wl •quNit to tw•N month's •xpendllwe. The Tru•tses ¢on8ld8r th•t re8oms al thls l•vel wlll •n•urn th•L In the evanl of • 81gnMcant drop In fundlng, they wlll be able to contlnuo Thi•V• (rrent a(Mll•s whlh eon81dernon1$ Ivan to ways In whlch addthnal fvnds may be ralsod. Th1$ Iwel of r•serm h been malnlaln•d thr¢wJghaut tho year. Th• haw a8108d th• mw rf8k6 lo whlth lh• Tnmt Is •xpos8d, and arn •ad•fi•d that sy8twn8 arn In to mlttyte WUre. Tho IGCT has achla¥•d • con•id•rabl• amount In tho •hort tlmo that tt has b••n arnund, R•lylw •ntlr•ly on th• g•n•roslty of foundlng subsuib8rn, the Trust has Succ1u1lY managed to g•t tho flrnt project to save Ihe Ir18h Grouae unde•Y. The SULUS8 of the Fxole¢t at Glem¥1 has attTaCtod the attentlon of govemment btxlio9 and *lll a881st In tholr Obligaon8 to fuMI EU obS8(kn5 and the c•so for directlng resourcos towards Inv8stm0nt Into the maMgem•nt of Irel•nd• uplands hal gattwrnd pJc•, Tho Truste08 hav• pald duB regard to guklance Issued by lh• Charlty ComrniBsiDn in deciding what aclivltlBs tho Trust 4lKwld undertake.
THE IRISH GROUSE CONSERVATION TRUST TRUSTEES, REPORT {INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Struothr•. gov•rn•no• •nd m&nAq•m•nt Tho Trust18 a company Ilmlt•d by guarante?. The Tru8teos, who are also the directord for tho wrposo ol compqny law, 4nd who sfjrved durfng the year and up to the dato of signature of the finandal Statements wore". John Cunnlngham Peter Macklo John mc00wl Adrfan Morrty The Hon Shane (YNeill Gllbgrt Jonathan Crawford Dld Cunningham Martln McKay <Re8lgnad 10 Jun• 2022) (Appoknt•d 10 Juno 2(Y22) Nan• oftho Tnjltl hai ony benaffdal Int•re•t kn tho e•mp•ny, All ¢llh• TnJ8t888 8r• m•mb•rn ofth• and gu•rnnto• to corrtrfbut• £1 In th• mnt of a wlndlng up. Tho 8rd of Olr•ctorn r4erat•8 •• d•tall•d In th• gov•mlrvJ dment for th• eharfty, tt• M•mor•ndum and Artk4# ofA••odatton. e8S' rnport wa8 •pprov•d by tho Bowrl of TnMta81. lJLrf Poter Mac*ie TNst•e Dated: ....1..4.". .T