This is a subscriber-only article
DEAR SIR: I had a walk around during the quiet at Christmas. I could not believe the amount of ivy I saw. Nearly every hedge and tree was covered in ivy. It’s choking trees and hedges.
Electric fences
It all started with the introduction of the electric fence, then REPS and now the GLAS.
When our sheep and cattle could eat into the edge of the hedges and trees, they kept the ivy eaten back, before the ivy growth got out of control.
We can see what happened on the Burren and in the hills of Connemara when they were not properly grazed and managed.
Our bee population is nearly extinct and it won’t be long before some of our bird species will face the same fate because the ivy will have killed a lot of trees that produce berries for the birds to eat.
I think our Minister for the Environment should introduce some scheme to control the spread of ivy before it debilitates our countryside.
SHARING OPTIONS: