Ways you can help to conserve Ireland’s genetic resources
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Support the Irish Seed Savers Association and grow traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables in your garden instead of the commercially available varieties. ISSA sell seed and will deliver to your door.
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2.. If you keep bees, then consider keeping the native Irish black bee (Apis mellifera mellifera), rather than the global honeybee (Apis mellifera). Contact the Galtee Bee Breeding Group for more information.
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3. Tell us if you’re aware of cereals still grown in Ireland from saved seed. Most farmers have stopped growing traditional varieties but there are still some old Irish landraces (non-commercial cereal varieties) in existence. They’ve been found in Donegal and in the West of Ireland in recent years. If you’re aware of anyone who saves seed from year to year (perhaps as a small crop, or for thatching) please contact the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, or Genetic Heritage Ireland so that some of the seed can be saved for future generations.
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4. Submit records of Crop Wild Relative species. If you spot populations of our important Crop Wild Relatives, then make a note of the location, grid reference, and date and send a record to the National Crop Wild Relative Database maintained by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Records of rarer CWR species are particularly valuable.
