Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is a good farmer who knows a lot about farming. He obviously knows more than me. If he says there is a down week in August, I will accept him at his word. We should not be attacking our hedgerows. The last time this Bill came before the House, Senator Norris referred to hedgerows as larders. It does not make sense to cut down the hedgerows that feed the birds and mammals that live in them at the exact time when berries, pollen and everything else is in there.

The Minister referred to fears like "health and safety reasons" and "roads with overgrown hedges". Those issues can be dealt with and boxed off because they are covered in Senator Grace O'Sullivan's amendments.Some of the amendments Senator O'Sullivan has proposed cover that ground. Let us box it off. Let us get up and agree to examine it. Let us separate, in the first instance, the hedges that are off-road and internal to farms from hedges along the highways and byways. Let us take time out. Let us take a couple of weeks to examine this. Let us engage with Senators and agree to find a solution.

No one wants to be attacking farmers. Everyone wants farmers to make a good livelihood and to have a good future for their families. However, the future not only of the country but of the planet will only be assured if we protect our environment. Only yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency published a document on our rivers and how the quality of our rivers has regressed over a period.

I believe the Bill is an attack on our heritage, and to call it the Heritage Bill is a nonsense. The Minister should take some time and then come back. Then, when the Minister is responding to the contribution of Senators, she should say that the Government will take everything into consideration and bring forward amendments on Report Stage to cover the genuine concerns of Senators and the public.

We have not even got to section 8, which is the fundamental element of the Bill. I have problems with section 3, which undermines local authorities throughout the country. It does not give them an opportunity for input into by-laws on account of the 21-day consultation period. Local authorities will not have any opportunity to contribute.

The Bill should be withdrawn now in its entirety and should be reconsidered. It should go out to proper public consultation. It should be factually-based rather than based on the views of a small group. I do not believe the majority of farmers support the Bill, because they can see the possible long-term damage to their futures.