Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

This issue has been topical for a number of years. As the Deputy is aware, hedge trimming is a routine and essential management practice for farmers on their land. In light of this and in anticipation of the ending of the practice of burning as a method to dispose of cuttings or green waste, we commissioned a study to explore the management of this agricultural waste in Ireland.

A feasibility study to sustainable management of agricultural green waste in Ireland was conducted by the Irish BioEnergy Association and published at the end of 2022. The study identified a number of feasible alternative options to burning while sustainably managing this waste material. The report is available on the Department's website. In a survey that was conducted as part of this study, 38% of farmers said that they had considered alternative uses for the cut material before resorting to burning and the report states that farmers are open to considering alternatives to burning.

Based on the conclusions and recommendations in this study, the Irish BioEnergy Association has been asked to examine a range of measures to ensure that the appropriate communication, awareness-raising and knowledge-transfer measures are in place to support the agricultural sector in making a successful orderly transition to alternative sustainable management practices and to make recommendations in this regard. This work will support farmers to make the necessary changes to their farming practices for when the latest and last exemption to the Regulation for Waste Management (Prohibition of Waste Disposal by Burning) Regulation ends.

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