Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that the Department is very much committed to the protection of our hedgerows. It strengthened the level of protection they receive within the basic payment scheme. They are identified as landscape features, as I said. Hedgerows are protected under good agricultural environmental conditions standards, through cross-compliance, and further strengthened with the current capital strategic plan. If a farmer in receipt of CAP payments removes a hedge, he or she has to plant double the length that was removed. Also, that hedgerows can only be removed for exceptional reasons.

I will brief the Minister on the Deputy's concerns regarding the review.

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