Hedgerow removal can be quite a contentious issue and often raises debate. In the past there were grants available for Irish farmers to carry out drainage work on farms. During these works a lot of man-made drains were filled in, and hedgerows and internal boundaries were cleared to increase field size. This helped to make fields more suitable for large-scale machinery operations. However, today the rules around hedgerow removal are a lot stricter. In a recent press statement from Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed we were reminded of those rules. Hedgerows are designated landscape features under Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) requirements, so beneficiaries are obliged to retain and maintain designated landscape features. In addition, field boundaries such as hedgerows, stone walls and clay banks are afforded protection under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Regulations (EIA).

Since 2009, landscape features under GAEC7 include:

  • Hedgerows, including gappy hedgerows.
  • Trees in a line.
  • Drains and ditches.
  • Combinations of hedge, drain and area within fence.

    • All those features are eligible for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme and according to the Department they must be retained on the holding. Where a hedgerow must be removed, a replacement hedge of the same length must be planted before the existing hedge is cut down. Where a landscape feature is required to be removed it must also be replaced in advance, like for like of similar length. For example, you cannot replace a length of hedgerow with a line of trees.

    EIA

    Farmers who would like to carry out restructuring of land or carry out land drainage work over certain thresholds must comply with the EIA regulations. For example, if the length of field boundary to be removed is greater than 500m, or the area of lands to be restructured by removal of field boundaries is above 5ha, then an application to the Department for screening is required (see Table 1).

    Screening is also required where the works are to be carried out within (or may affect) a proposed NHA or a nature reserve, or where it is considered that the works may have a significant effect on the environment. Since the introduction of the regulations in 2011 up to the end of 2016, there have been 480 screening applications for field boundary removal. Of those applications 93% received approval to go ahead with planned works. This equates to 155km of field boundary removal. The majority of applications came from counties in the southeast, with the number coming from western counties relatively low. For example, 98 applications came from Wexford while just 44 came from the whole of Connacht.

    Discussion

    The Irish Farmers Journal spoke with the author of the EIA screening report, Neil Foulkes. Neil is very passionate about the upkeep of hedgerows and has written a number of reports about the type and condition of hedgerows around the country.

    He is of the view that farmers need to be given both financial and educational support to maintain them properly. He also believes they should be looked at as a ready-made carbon sink.

    Neil advocates the setting up a national stakeholder forum for hedgerows to bring together all parties to discuss the issues around hedgerows.

    To get involved in this discussion you can contact: neilfoulkes62@gmail.com