Hedgerows, carbon, and biodiversity are up for discussion at today’s (Wednesday, February 9) meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine (JOCAFM).
Members of Hedgerows Ireland will lead this discussion and will be calling on the committee members to introduce legal protection for hedgerows as a matter of urgency.
They will call for an amendment to existing legislation – 1976 Wildlife Act – or the introduction of new legislation to achieve this goal.
Hedgerows Ireland will be represented at the JOCAFM by Donal Sheehan, from The Bride Project; Lilian O’Sullivan, independent expert Teagasc; Shirley Clerkin, heritage officer, Co. Monaghan; Michael Hickey, beef farmer; and Dr. Alan Moore.
Action is required immediately to preserve and protect our hedgerows, according to the group, and they will tell the JOCAFM that up to 6,000km are being removed annually in Ireland.
This figure is backed up by a recent survey carried out and published by Monaghan County Council, according to Hedgerows Ireland.
This survey – a re-survey of sites that were first examined in Monaghan in 2010 – found that almost 11km of hedges had been removed over a decade.
This indicates that 0.9% of hedges in Monaghan may be removed annually, which is far more than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates of 0.3%.
The survey also found that 75% of the removals were attributable to agriculture and that only 12% of hedges were in favourable condition.
Hedgerows Ireland will propose to the JOCAFM a number of other recommendations including: that Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes would recognise and reward good hedgerow management; the reintroduction of hedge-management courses and certification for contractors; and implementation of the EPA recommendations around setback from hedgerows in forestry.
A separate discussion also on Ireland’s draft CAP Strategic Plan, with representatives of BirdWatch Ireland and The Environmental Pillar will take place after the hedgerows debate.
The JOCAFM is chaired by Fianna Fáil’s Deputy Jackie Cahill and has 14 members: nine from the Dáil; and five from the Seanad.