Mr. Padraic Joyce:

I will address the question on bird nesting first. The hedges which are cut are a lot more compact. Deputy Healy-Rae referred to Northern Ireland. Many more hedges are manicured there than in the South. They are a lot broader and there is a better chance for birds to nest in them. Another question concerned roadside hedges. We want inward hedges to be treated in a similar fashion in line with of good farming practice. It is a lot easier requirement to work within fields and carry out ploughing or whatever.

As I have said, birds have more of a chance to nest in a more compact hedge which has been looked after properly. Due to the waterlogging of fields and hilly land in my area, it has not been possible to work in fields from 15 August until the present day. If the rain continues, hedges will not be cut this year at all. It is a significant problem. If we could have started on 1 August, we could have cut the hedges.