David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope the Minister will accept this, but I very much doubt that she will. It seems that, by accepting this excellent amendment, she would actually be going against the thrust of some of the legislation. She has blissfully ignored the plight of bees. We are now in a situation where there are practically no wild bees in this country. All of them are cultivated by beekeepers who are not happy about this legislation. They are completely against it.

I have received correspondence from the president of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations. It talks about how he had been watching farmers cutting down hedges outside the times permitted and that they are getting in contractors. The contractors are - she highlights it by capitalising the word - "FLAILING the hedges, not cutting them, already outside the permitted nesting time," resulting in damage to hedges which consist of willow, alder, chestnut, whitethorn, blackthorn, gorse, ivy and all other species of native trees and briars which all produce food which sustain the pollinators, bees and birds, throughout the years. It takes 15 years for a whitethorn to recover having been flailed and cut.

The correspondence reads:

Even now, around the country, farmers are cutting hedges and ditches all over their farms, setting heather on fire on the hills outside the permitted time, totally against the law but there isonly one case I know where the local farmer was fined 3500 euro for doing so, but if this bill goes through, farmers will have another few months to do as they please and not care about nature.

These are very significant points. I ask the Minister or her advisers to comment because what is being alleged is that farmers are replacing the strain of clover in their fields that is particularly attractive to bees with another main crop for a different pollinator that is not good for bees. They are doing this while acting on advice from Teagasc. It seems extraordinary that farmers are being advised by one Government agency to replace one strain of clover which is attractive and beneficial to bees with another that is not attractive or beneficial to bees. That seems absurd and I wonder if the Minister will comment on it. There is much more lyrical stuff about blackberry tarts and gorse bushes in flower and so on, but I will leave that aside.

Further correspondence from the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations, the group to which I have already referred, states the value of pollination services in Ireland is estimated at €53 million a year. It pays tribute to Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and the report in her name. It notes that the proposed changes to section 40 will allow the cutting of hedgerows from 1 August annually, rather that from 1 September. It will also, as we know, extend the period to 31 March. This is capitalised and headlined in the letter - "THE FEDERATION OF IRISH BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATIONS CONDEMNS PROPOSALS IN HERITAGE BILL 2016 TO EXTEND HEDGE-CUTTING AND BURNING PERIOD BY TWO MONTHS." The Bill totally ignores sectors such as beekeeping. As far as I can make out, there is no reference to beekeeping at all in the legislation. Bees are not even mentioned once, even though they are under threat worldwide. The Bill also ignores the fruit sectors which rely on pollinators and which "in turn rely on pollen in August to survive throughout the winter. Ireland's hedgerows are a vital source of pollen and permitting a blanket cutting of the hedgerows in August will greatly endanger the bee population". The federation is calling on the Minister to think again on the issue.

The federation gives a list which might be of interest of crops in Ireland that are pollinator-dependent. They include apples for eating and cider, blackcurrants, pumpkins as indicated by my colleagues, strawberries, courgettes, marrows, blueberries and raspberries. "Blueberries" is the American name. In County Laois we know them as "fraochán". The last on the list is cultivated blackberries which is probably the reason for the reference to blackberry tart. In addition to these outdoor crops, indoor crops which are pollinator-dependent include tomatoes, cucumbers, raspberries and bell peppers. Bees absolutely depend on hedgerows for sustenance. They provide essential pollen and nectar for them to store. The correspondence reads: "They benefit especially from the long, late flowering blackberry crop in the hedges, which would be decimated by earlier hedge cutting".

The letter states: "WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MORE OF THESE VITAL RESOURCES FOR OUR POLLINATORS ... WE RISK LOSING MANY OF OUR CROPS IF WE LOSE OUR POLLINATORS". I think many people just accept that fruit and vegetables emerge year after year and never think of this almost invisible action of pollination that takes place. It is vital to the production of most, if not all, species of fruit and vegetables. I strongly urge the Minister to take into account the all-Ireland pollinator plan which is essential. Inclusion of the amendment in the legislation would give some degree of respect and recognition to the threatened bee population of Ireland.