Ireland has over 140 different native varieties of apple. Irish Seed Savers have a carefully curated seed bank to ward against these strains becoming extinct. It is proposed that under the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme the Woodlawn Estate lands would host a Native Apple Orchard Scheme to cultivate these native strains and use them as stock for orchards around the island of Ireland.
Our own market for apples is worth over €80m per annum yet only €2m is spent on Irish apples. From planting to maintaining to grafting and harvesting the Native Apple Orchard scheme has the potential to create sustainable jobs, particularly in rural areas where employment is declining.