Hedgerows are a vital part of our countryside. They benefit our wildlife, the environment and our landscapes.
Hedgerows play an important role in farming. They slow soil erosion and support an integrated pest management approach.
We know that our farmers and land managers value hedgerows. In England, there are now over 90,000 kilometres of hedgerows with one or both sides managed under 16,000 Countryside Stewardship and SFI agreements. Through Countryside Stewardship capital grants, over 13,000 kilometres of hedgerows have been created or restored.
In June last year, we launched a consultation on how hedgerows should be protected in England. We blogged about it at the time.
Today, we published the summary of the responses and the government's response on GOV.UK. This includes proposed exemptions to the requirements.
In this post, we'll share the outcomes of the consultation and our next steps.
Responses
As mentioned, the consultation launched in June. By the time the consultation closed in September, almost 9,000 people shared their views. This substantial response again highlights how much hedgerows are valued by all, including farmers and land managers.
We would like to thank all of those who took the time to respond.
There was overwhelming agreement that hedgerows are valuable assets for wildlife and the environment.
Responses to the consultation clearly supported protections. In total, 96% of responses agreed with the proposal to maintain a buffer strip.
98% agreed with the proposal to maintain a cutting ban period. Farmers were firmly supportive, with 82% agreeing to a buffer strip and 85% to a cutting ban period.
We also appreciate views on extending protections outside of agricultural land in the future.
Regulations and protections
There was consensus that hedges should be protected in law. This is what the government seeks to do through new regulations.
We trust farmers and land managers to look after hedgerows and the proposed regulations will provide the reassurance that everyone follows the same management approach.
Alongside the continuation of our hedgerow offers in our environmental land management schemes, the new regulations reinforce our commitment to protect hedgerows and support those who look after them.
The proposed regulations will replicate the approach already familiar to most farmers from the previous cross compliance rules.
As before, they will require a 2-metre buffer strip measured from the centre of the hedge, where no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers must happen.
This is to prevent harm to the structure and health of the hedge. The new regulations will also follow the cross compliance approach and ban the cutting of hedges between 1 March and 31 August, protecting nesting birds during that period.
While the rules themselves will be familiar to farmers, the approach to enforcement of the proposed new regulation will be different, with a focus on being fair and proportionate.
We have learned lessons from previous approaches and believe an advice-led approach will result in the best outcomes. We want to hear your views on the enforcement approach.
We will talk to farmers and environmental organisations about this, as well as consulting formally as required in the legislation.
We are working hard to bring in the new regulation as soon as parliamentary time allows. We'll provide more information in due course.