DAERA Minister pays visits to CAFRE’s Enniskillen campus

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots MLA has visited CAFRE’s Enniskillen Campus to see recent agri-environment enhancement work and farriery provision.

Minister Edwin Poots is shown around the CAFRE orchard by Jayne Mooney, Agricultural Inspector at CAFRE. The orchard is just one of the agri-environment enhancements that have been put in place at CAFRE’s Enniskillen campus.

CAFRE’s Enniskillen Campus estate comprises of 62 hectares and is managed to support CAFRE’s equine breeding (including young stock), racing and equitation enterprises while sustaining a range of habitats and delivering environmental enhancement works which are promoted under DAERA’s Environmental Farming Scheme.

Minister Poots said: “I am delighted to see how CAFRE has invested in positive habitat management and agri-environment enhancement across the Enniskillen Campus Estate. The work demonstrates how such measures which support biodiversity, enhance the landscape while demonstrating how water, air and soil quality improvement can be integrated on farms and equine businesses in Northern Ireland.”

The Minister also viewed the farrier training facilities at CAFRE Enniskillen Campus. The course is designed to produce qualified professional farriers who are competent in all aspects of hoof care including the selection, fit and application of horse shoes. The course is delivered over two years and students attend lectures, tutorials and practical forge work two days per month at Enniskillen Campus.

The Minister said: “The equine education and training programmes offered at Enniskillen Campus incorporate a strong practical dimension and the philosophy of ‘learning by doing’ is applied throughout all programmes.  This is especially true for the Farrier Upskilling programme which has been designed for working farriers to gain a recognised qualification from a world renowned organisation, The Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF).  I would encourage all farriers to complete this innovative Diploma (DipWCF) programme which qualifies successful candidates to apply to the Farriers Registration Council to become registered in this industry.”

Notes to editors: 

1. CAFRE’s Enniskillen Campus currently provides equine education and knowledge transfer programmes ranging from level 2 (Apprenticeship/Diploma) to Level 6 qualifications (Honours Degree) with part-time agriculture courses and farrier courses also delivered at the Campus.  Knowledge Transfer events are organised to highlight to the equine sector new technologies being demonstrated by CAFRE.
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