
EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Dacian Cioloș, visited the Fundația ADEPT project area, to see some of the foundation’s farm advisory activities. During the visit he was instructed in the use of an innovative Brielmaier mower, and enjoyed trying it out.
Under an EU Life project of which ADEPT is beneficiary, we have used the Brielmaier innovative walk-behind mowers to restore hundreds of hectares of important grasslands. The mowers reduce the labour of cutting high-biodiversity grasslands, especially slopes inaccessible to tractors. They are light-weight and have a reciprocal cutting action that minimises damage to soil and flora. They also have very low fuel use, and can easily be transported from place to place on a trailer. We have trained three local people to use these machines, so that they can continue to be used by local farmers in the long term.
This is truly bringing innovation to bear, to protect small-scale farmer incomes and to protect High Nature Value landscapes at the same time.