MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, September 08, 2025
QUESTION NO. 24
QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin
To ask the Chief Executive why SDCC begins mowing its meadows in August as opposed to say in October when there are less bees and other insects feeding?
REPLY:
South Dublin County Council manages approximately 210 hectares of natural meadows countywide, generating in the region of 2,400 tonnes of meadow grass each year. Our meadow management programme is designed to maximise habitats and food sources for pollinators and is delivered in line with both the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the Council’s own Pollinator Plan. The programme is developed in consultation with our Heritage Officer and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to ensure it follows best ecological practice.
The meadow management programme is carefully planned, with half of the meadows cut in August/September and the remainder left uncut to overwinter before being cut by the end of April. This staggered approach supports biodiversity by providing diverse habitats throughout the year. Overwintering meadows in particular are vital for insects such as moths, beetles, flies, and butterflies, whose eggs, larvae, and pupae depend on uncut vegetation to survive the winter. These insects, especially grubs and caterpillars, are a crucial food source for birds and other wildlife during the colder months and into early spring.
The autumn meadow mowing programme begins in mid-August each year, as delaying until October would not be practical or ecologically appropriate. We have learned from previous years where wet autumn conditions prevented machinery from cutting the meadows, which in turn reduced wildflower growth and habitat value the following year. Given the scale of the programme and the volume of material to be collected, autumn ground conditions often make access for the necessary machinery difficult, risking soil and seed bank damage and leaving areas unmanaged. If grass is not cut and removed, soil fertility increases, allowing stronger grasses to out-compete the native wildflowers in the seed bank.
Since the introduction of the programme in 2019, when 90 hectares of meadow were first managed under this programme, surveys have demonstrated year-on-year improvements in both flora and fauna diversity across our parks. These findings demonstrate the ecological benefits of SDCC approach in line with National Biodiversity Centre guidelines.