Ms Shirley Clerkin:

Hedgerows need a little bit of management if they are to be retained as hedgerows. Every few years, they need to be trimmed at the sides so that they are not encroaching completely into the field. If a hedgerow is left to its own devices over time, it will either grow into a tree line or what is known as a relict hedge, which will no longer have any of the understory. That is very good. In fact, it gives other benefits. There are mature trees that can be used for other functions. For example, different songbirds will be in those trees, etc. However, as a hedgerow and an agricultural feature, they may not be as useful for a farm. What we are talking about here would be a results-based payment scheme for farmers that would recognise the value of hedgerows for biodiversity and carbon and their agricultural function, including acting as a barrier to livestock and enclosing fields. That should be taken into account.