Inagh Farmhouse Cheese are proud to be part of the Burren Eco Tourism Network.

The Burren Ecotourism Network is a membership organisation embedded in a sustainable tourism ethos. It was formally established in 2011.  Its purpose is to:

• connect tourism enterprises in the Burren Region, and enable them to work together to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits, both for themselves and for their communities
• provide members with training, networking, marketing, business development and partnership opportunities
• enable members to make an active contribution to the conservation of the regions natural and cultural heritage

The B.E.N. mission is to contribute to transforming the Burren to a truly sustainable destination by being a thought leader, an advocate and by providing learning, development and business opportunities to tourism enterprises.

The Network aims to be a recognizable network of enterprises in the Burren, who have achieved independent accreditation, demonstrate ecotourism ‘best practice’, positively discriminate in each other’s favour, provide ‘one voice’ representation on issues impacting the Burren (where appropriate), and inspire conservation activism.

B.E.N is a network of tourism businesses with the objective of establishing the Burren as a premier internationally recognised tourism region ensuring the future economic and social growth and sustainable development of its communities, environment and heritage. It seeks to support training, mentoring and accreditation in sustainable tourism for its members for businesses interested in joining the network.

In order to acheive membership, each business must the Geopark Sustainable Code of Practice.  This Code requires tourism enterprises to develop an Environmental Policy and Environmental Action Plan for their business and to implement certain practices in the areas of energy consumption, waste management, water conservation and protection.

It also addresses areas such as responsible marketing, visitor interpretation, green purchasing, and sustainable transport. Importantly it requires all businesses to complete Geopark Leave No Trace Awareness Training and to observe Leave No Trace principles at all times (specialised Leave No Trace training is provided).

A highly practical training programme provides us with a step-by-step guide towards achieving the Code and we proud to be part of this unique programme