Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Minister believes that hedgerows are a significant component of the Irish landscape. We are fortunate in Ireland to have retained an extensive hedgerow network, with an estimated length of 689,000 km according to Teagasc research. As Deputy Ó Cathasaigh has said, hedgerows are multifunctional, acting not only as stock-proof fencing and boundary markers, but also providing invaluable ecosystem services such as crucial wildlife corridors, carbon storage, flood prevention and mitigation of fertiliser run-off.

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Any removal of hedgerows can have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem service they specifically provide, such as biodiversity and climate resilience. It reduces how well connected the hedgerow network is for birds, bats, butterflies and other wildlife that use hedges for habitats. It removes valuable carbon sequestration facilities and contributes to soil erosion and excessive nutrient run-off. That is why the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has for the past 30 years, through various agri-environment schemes, facilitated the planting of more than 11,000 km of new, native species hedgerows and the rejuvenation of over 6,000 km more hedgerows through traditional hedgerow maintenance with the aim of protecting that valuable resource.

The Department has strengthened the level of protection hedgerows receive with the EU basic payment scheme identifying hedgerows as landscape features, protecting hedgerows under good agricultural and environmental condition, GAEC, standards and cross-compliance. This has been further strengthened under conditionality, which is part of the CAP strategic plan 2023 to 2027. GAEC 8 sets out the exceptional circumstances where the removal of hedgerow is allowed. These are building work, road safety issues, which are a major issue in this area, and farm safety issues. Where this is allowed it must be replaced in advance by twice the length in a like-for-like fashion. It is important to remember that removing a hedgerow between two fields is not considered an exceptional circumstance.

The new voluntary eco-scheme also aims to reward farmers for undertaking actions benefiting the climate, the environment, water quality and biodiversity, which includes the planting of hedgerows or trees on the farm.

The Department of Agriculture introduced the EIA (Agriculture) Regulations (SI 456 of 2011, as amended) in 2011. The objective is to assess the effects of certain projects or works on the environment with the aim of allowing works to take place where there is no environmental impact and ensuring works do not take place where there would be an impact on the environment. These regulations cover, among other items, the removal of field boundaries. When a farmer intends to remove hedgerow and the proposed works exceed the size threshold for screening, he or she must make an application to the Department for screening or consent, giving details of the works. If the Department officers consider the works are likely to have a significant effect on the environment, permission will be refused.

The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, has committed to reviewing and updating this regulation, as outlined in the programme for Government. As part of that review process, referred to by Deputy Ó Cathasaigh, a public consultation was conducted in 2023. A total of 64 submissions were received and reviewed in response to that consultation. Submissions were received from statutory agencies, NGOs, farming organisations, farmers and members of the public. The Department is continuing to review the outcome of that public consultation in tandem with its legal team. Departmental guidance documents on the EIA agriculture regulations are also being updated.

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