All farmers need to be aware of the rules and regulations when cutting hedges and if planning to remove hedges .

If you are thinking of removing hedges, there are two important considerations: cross compliance and EIA (Agriculture) Regulations 2011.

 

Hedge management on derogation farms

Last year, for the first time, farmers availing of the Nitrates Derogation had committed to undertake a biodiversity option.

Farmers must undertake at least one of two options where hedge cutting is being carried out.

■ The first option is to retain at least one thorn tree in every 300m of hedge. This can be a whitethorn or blackthorn, either of which are present in practically every farm hedge in Ireland.

It can be an existing mature thorn tree, although these are rare in topped hedges where other trees such as ash are retained.

Or a new thorn sapling can be retained from within the hedge. It may be easier to leave a bunch in the first year, which can be thinned to a single stem later.

Thorn trees provide many benefits. The flowering May bush is a beautiful landscape feature around first-cut silage time.

The flowers provide flowers for bees and their haws provide food for birds. Birds such as blackbird, thrush and robin who nest in the body of the hedge need small trees in the hedge to provide a perching post to sing and hold their territory.

Birds do not sit on top of a flat-topped hedge. While one thorn tree in 300m may appear low, it is better to allow another new thorn develop in future years, giving a diversity of height and structure with developing thorn trees at different stages rather than all one height.

Option 1 is automatically attained in ‘escaped’ or ‘relict’ hedges, or lines of tree which are never topped contain numerous thorn trees, with a full canopy providing flowers and fruit.

Annual side trimming — little and often — is allowed in Option 1.

 

■ The second option is to cut hedges on a three-year cycle; it is recommended to cut one third of hedges each year to benefit the environment as much as possible. So where all hedges were cut in 2019, cut one-third in each of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

 

Hedgerow best practice

Best practice for biodiversity on all farms is to have a variety of hedge types.

This includes some escaped hedges which remain un-topped but can be side-trimmed, and some topped hedges, trimmed to a triangular profile from a wide base, cutting the growing point, except to retain occasional trees including thorns at irregular intervals.

 

Timing of hedge cutting

Hedges can be cut from September 1 until the end of February.

The Wildlife Act, 1976 (2000) prohibits hedge cutting during the bird nesting season.

Under cross compliance, the following question is asked for Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions 7B: “Is there evidence of the cutting of hedges and / or trees during the bird nesting and breeding season (March 1 – August 31)”

 

Cross compliance

Under cross compliance, hedges and drains have been designated as landscape features.

Since 2009, they cannot be removed/piped and closed in unless a replacement hedge/drain of similar length is planted/dug at a suitable location on the holding in advance of the removal of the hedge or drain.

If farmers have removed hedges since 2009, they can be penalised any stage. To avoid a penalty they should have replaced any removed hedges.

With the greater emphasis on biodiversity including hedges, the preferred option is not to remove hedges in the first place.

Where, in exceptional circumstances, it is necessary to remove a hedge or line of trees or fill in a drain for good reasons — such as farmyard expansion — farmers may do so, provided a new hedge, line of trees or drain of equal length and like for like is planted or dug in advance of the removal of the original.

Hedge species used must be traditional to the area and cannot include amenity species such as laurel or conifers.

Ornamental hedges around a house site will not suffice as a replacement hedge. New hedge must contain native species.

A hedge or line of trees planted in front of another hedge or grove of trees is not considered a suitable replacement.

Failure to abide by these rules will result in a cross compliance penalty.

Where it has been detected that a landscape feature has been removed/damaged in previous years, a sanction may be applied in the current year.

In addition to the sanction, a new hedge, line of trees or drain of equal length to the feature removed must be planted or dug within 12 months. Otherwise a further cross compliance sanction will be applied.

An online conference on Thursday, November 11 organised by the Society of Irish Plant Pathology (Cost: €10) will feature the health of Irish hedges and hedgerow trees including ash dieback. See Eventbrite.ie

 

Catherine Keena is a Teagasc countryside management specialist and Anthony Dineen is a Teagasc advisor