Ms Shirley Clerkin:

Yes, it is. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission recognises the role of new hedgerows for the connectivity of the landscape and connecting habitats. We can think of one's heart and the heart does not function without arteries. It is the same for nature as the other habitats attached to hedgerows will not function and will get progressively smaller without our hedgerows. They are a very important habitat.

A new hedgerow, if attached to older hedgerows, will see species move across and it will gradually become more species-rich and sequester more carbon over a longer period. We have an existing network, however. It is a bit like saying we should ignore the crown jewels we have in order to find a whole new set of diamonds buried somewhere in earth. We have these so let us use them and find a way to do something really positive for farming and nature. As Mr. Sheehan correctly states, it is positive for food productivity and the image of the food being produced in Ireland. We should be able to show our hedgerows as really good habitats that the farmers of Ireland are producing.