Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One of the five year objectives of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, is to deliver 1.4 million m of new hedgerow which have the potential to sequester almost 5,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. I can see how many hedgerows have gone from the fields around my home. It is the same in every part of the country. I asked one person why they were taking it out and they told me they were cleaning it up. I said it did not look dirty. A hedgerow is not dirty. I never figured out what the person was talking about. The concern is that while that scheme exists, hedgerows are being bulldozed at the moment. I am not sure why because it is not good from a farmer's point of view because not alone are they removing the sequestering value, as a carbon sink, but also a barrier for shelter and drainage because a good strong ditch soaks up the water. Why are farmers persisting in cutting them down to the scut? We are not as bad in this part of the world as up the road in the Bible belt.

I welcome the progress made with GLAS and that the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, has rowed in behind it. I can see its value but damage is being done while we improve things. Cuttings from hedgerows around the country are lying in drains. Can we not between us figure out some way of gathering that up and, instead of setting fire to it in the corner of a field when it is dry, use it for some type of biomass to fire something or other? Does the IFA have any views on that?