Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister's thoughts. There is a completely new thinking, but we need to go a lot further. It is the case that all applicants, as the Minister said, receive an on-site inspection, but it is also the case that 95% of landowners who seek approval do get full permission. All that adds up to 2,000 km of hedgerows being removed every year, which is a conservative estimate made by the EPA. Hedgerows Ireland, an organisation that I would like to commend has produced research on the issue. It has done brilliant work. As Deputy Carthy will recall, representatives of the organisation appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who have said that it is much greater than 2,000 km, citing research from Monaghan. Ultimately, our hedgerows are incredibly important. They are important for biodiversity and carbon sequestration. We really need to get on top of it, and advance and accelerate that new thinking that the Minister has talked about. I accept that the Minister is reviewing the regulations. We need to accelerate the completion of the review and reform the regulations overall.

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