No to more Slash and Burn campaign

Chisler2

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and the Gaeltacht (AHRRG), Heather Humphreys T.D. whose remit includes protection of natural heritage/biodiversity has resurrected Heritage Bill 2016 which includes proposals to change the dates for hedge-cutting and upland burning which are contained in Section 40 of the Wildlife Act. The bill was introduced in the Seanad and passed the first stage in January of this before the Oireachtas was dissolved in advance of the General Election.

The proposed changes would allow cutting, destroying and removal of hedgerows in August and burning in the uplands in March when birds are trying to lay eggs and raise chicks.



Currently it is illegal to cut, remove/destroy hedgerows and burn vegetation in our uplands between March 1 and August 31 in order to protect breeding birds.
This campaign may be of interest if you value what we've got left of the natural environment.
Links to the petition and Birdwatch Ireland information on the issue are here:-
https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/no-to-more-slash-and-burn
and
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/OurWork/PolicyAdvocacy/Agricultureforestry/HedgecuttingUplandburningLegalchanges/tabid/1439/Default.aspx

Concerns in relation to road safety and the need to cut hedges in August are spurious because the existing legislation already allows for hedge-cutting for road safety requirements and any issues with management of this requires changes to Section 70 of the Roads Act, not the Wildlife Act which is there to protect birds.

OpenYourEyes

An article on The Journal today about the campaign:

http://www.thejournal.ie/heritage-bill-slash-and-burn-3076403-Nov2016/?utm_source=shortlink

Del.Monte

What more can you expect from a clueless, ill informed politician who owes her position to Edna Kenny.

pedigree 6

Del.Monte wrote: »

What more can you expect from a clueless, ill informed politician who owes her position to Edna Kenny.

There's a few clueless on here if nobody challenged the fact that it is illegal to remove hedgerows and if you do so you have to plant the same length somewhere else on your farm. To have that false statement in the opening post is just intended to garner support from a clueless population for an online petition.

magicbastarder

pedigree 6 wrote: »

if you do so you have to plant the same length somewhere else on your farm.

i suspect that's really well policed.

pedigree 6

magicbastarder wrote: »

i suspect that's really well policed.

Sattelite.

Kristopherus

Chisler2 wrote: »

Concerns in relation to road safety and the need to cut hedges in August are spurious because the existing legislation already allows for hedge-cutting for road safety requirements and any issues with management of this requires changes to Section 70 of the Roads Act, not the Wildlife Act which is there to protect birds.

Well, if you are in Mayo, you must have noticed the disgraceful behaviour of the local authorities in not cutting back overgrown vegetation in all the local roads in the county. Drivers daily take their lives in their hands negotiating treacherous bends and corners due to being blinded by the protrusion of overgrowth. This year is the second year of non-cutting:mad:

Drivers and human life come first in list of priorities.Wildlife is a distant second . And no amount of of petitions or do-gooderry will change my mind on that.

OpenYourEyes

pedigree 6 wrote: »

it is illegal to remove hedgerows and if you do so you have to plant the same length somewhere else on your farm. To have that false statement in the opening post is just intended to garner support from a clueless population for an online petition.

That's a fair and important point, and one that most non-farmers aren't aware of. That being said, presumably (and I stand open to correction on any of this) this change in legislation means those hedgerows could be removed earlier when there are still likely to be nesting birds present? And again presumably the new replacement hedgerow wouldn't provide the same quality of habitat as an existing intact and/or well-managed hedgerow for several years?

OpenYourEyes

Kristopherus wrote: »

Well, if you are in Mayo, you must have noticed the disgraceful behaviour of the local authorities in not cutting back overgrown vegetation in all the local roads in the county. Drivers daily take their lives in their hands negotiating treacherous bends and corners due to being blinded by the protrusion of overgrowth. This year is the second year of non-cutting:mad:

Drivers and human life come first in list of priorities.Wildlife is a distant second . And no amount of of petitions or do-gooderry will change my mind on that.

Well I'm glad that we still have uninformed and/or poorly targeted rants to combat the people trying to do any good!

But it's worth re-emphasising that this change in legislation won't make it any easier or harder, or simpler or more complicated to cut hedgerows where there's an issue of road safety. You have a problem with the local authorities in Mayo, not with the existing legislation. The do-gooders in this case are all road users too, and their families and friends are also road users - just like you! They/we are just as concerned about road safety as anyone else and want to see action on it where possible. But this potential change to legislation has nothing to do with issues of road safety. To believe so is to be misinformed.

Del.Monte

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Sattelite.

You really believe that?

magicbastarder

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Sattelite.

can you name a single case where a farmer was prosecuted for not complying with the law, based on satellite observations?
and can you name a satellite with resolution powerful enough to detect a newly planted hedge, which would show the farmer is complying?

OpenYourEyes

An opinion piece in the Irish Examiner: 'Yellowhammers and the importance of Hedgerows'

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/damien-enright/yellowhammers-and-the-importance-of-hedgerows-430357.html

Zoo4m8

magicbastarder wrote: »

can you name a single case where a farmer was prosecuted for not complying with the law, based on satellite observations?
and can you name a satellite with resolution powerful enough to detect a newly planted hedge, which would show the farmer is complying?

Farmers are penalised for noncompliance by withdrawal of a percentage of payments based on satellite and on the ground inspection evidence.
A hedge planted correctly ie. two rows of plants into weed suppressing plastic and fenced on both sides is easily visible via satellite..