Farmers may have gone too far with cutting back hedges

Sarah Saunderson • Published 18 Mar 2011 09:30 0 Comments

See also:

Little time left to cut hedges this winter

Birdlife is being destroyed by farmers cutting hedges in an attempt to meet requirements for the European funding, Fermanagh District Council has heard.

"The amount of hedges being cut on farms this winter is a disgrace for the habitat and birdlife. Birds will be destroyed and lost. The amount of hedges being cut because of the Department of Agriculture and the Single Farm Payment and now there is information by the UFU that the EC may be looking into the whole thing again," said Councillor Paul Robinson. He used the example of wooded areas that were the night nesting place for up to 400 birds that are now gone.

"I am not blaming farmers. I am blaming the Department of Agriculture for putting pressure for getting this done," he added.

Council Chairman, Councillor Stephen Huggett said farmers can have hedges up to two metres from the line of the ditch. "This is the recommendation. Instead of paring back hedges, they may have gone overboard and taken the attitude of 'while I am at it, take the whole thing out'. . . I think probably it has been unfortunate. In west Fermanagh we still have enough trees on ditches round the little fields for all of your birds," he said.

"Probably unfortunately farmers did not realise they could be a lot less savage," he added.

"Quite a lot of people in the countryside management side are frightened of the damage they can do if contractors come about with the digger. If you tell them you want your hedge faced back, they will damn near rip it out. They seem to enjoy it and it will do untold damage unless watched like a hawk. That is what is behind it," said Mr. Huggett.

"I put in for the Single Farm Payment in last May," he recounted. He received correspondence recently about his acreage and found the nine-month gap between the application and the letter "quite incredible". "The fact that it has taken nine months to notice it is quite fantastic," he commented.

"European personnel do not know the impact of what they have imposed here or enforced. They do not know of the impact. Maybe if they saw it they would realise they were overdoing it. Single Farm Payment application forms come out in two weeks' time. It is essential farmers check their farms for ineligible stony ground or overgrown hedges or concrete lanes. They will be into serious penalties this particular year," said Councillor Gerry McHugh. He noted it was "very anti-environment".

"I understand farmers are allowed to grow a hedge row of one metre. Some farmers are stripping them bare. It is farmers, not legislation. That is ample space for wildlife," commented Councillor Ruth Lynch.

Farmers are required to maintain field boundaries as part of the Single Farm Payment rules. Only land that can be grazed can be considered eligible for grants and thus overhanging hedges can negatively impact on the application.

Hedge cutting is only permitted in Northern Ireland from August 31 to March 1 and thus should have finished cutting at the beginning of this month.

Farming groups have lobbied to have the start date of hedge cutting brought back in line with England and Scotland to August 1, arguing that bringing heavy diggers onto wet ground in September causes damage to fields.

During the permitted hedge cutting season, removal of field boundaries is not permitted on certain land except by prior written permission from the Department of Agriculture.

Farmers are to receive correspondence this month outlining exactly the rules dictating the scale of hedges permitted on their land.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 17 Mar 11

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.