Mr. Michael Hickey:

I thank the Deputy. We have already covered the roadways. There is no problem. Local authorities already have rules on boundary hedges along roadways. It is the responsibility of the farmer from the point of view of local authorities. Farmers make sure hedgerows do not encroach on roads and are not a danger to motorists. As far as farmers in general are concerned, there is no discrepancy between what we are asking for and what farmers are doing with regard to hedgerows. We see a win-win situation whereby we can help farmers to appreciate their hedges even more than they do at present. We see an incentivised scheme whereby farmers could avail of funds to retain their hedgerows and improve them so there would be no difficulty in that sphere.