- Consultation to support farmers to protect and maintain
hedgerow protections in domestic legislation
- Farmers, food producers and interest groups invited to give
their views on how we should best protect these essential
habitats in England now we are outside of the EU
- Builds on new financial support for farmers to create and
restore hedgerows under Sustainable Farming Incentive, as well as
Countryside Stewardship scheme
Plans to better support farmers
to protect hedgerows outside of the Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) have been set out by government today (28
June).
Hedgerows bring a wealth of
environmental benefits, acting as wildlife corridors to help halt
species decline, slowing soil erosion and water run-off,
supporting crop pollinators for food production, and taking
carbon out of the atmosphere.
A consultation launched today
seeks views on how we can ensure hedgerows continue to get the
right level of protection as we move away from cross compliance –
the rules farmers have to comply with to receive direct payments
under the CAP - and put in place new legislation tailored to the
needs and best interests of English farmers.
The new legislation will
benefit from the increased flexibility we have outside of the
bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy to improve how farm
regulations work so they are clearer, more proportionate and
effective for farmers. This will be key to meeting the commitment
in the government’s Environmental Improvement
Plan to support farmers to create or restore 30,000
miles of hedgerows by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows by
2050.
It builds on the decisive action already being taken on hedgerows
through the government’s environmental land management schemes
which are supporting farmers to produce food sustainably while
protecting and improving the environment.
It also comes alongside the government’s ambitions to identify
and unlock new investment opportunities to support nature
recovery in farming through the Natural Environment Investment
Readiness Fund (NEIRF), including a pioneering carbon calculation
tool created by the Allerton Research and Educational Trust to
boost hedgerow protections.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Thérèse Coffey said:
“Hedgerows are a landmark of the British countryside, providing
shelter and food for native species, taking carbon out of the
atmosphere and reducing flooding.
“We are already enhancing hedgerows through our new farming
schemes, and the consultation launched today will provide further
legislative backing to make sure our hedgerows are better managed
and protected in the future.”
Today’s announcement follows the launch of the 2023 Sustainable
Farming Incentive earlier this month which includes new actions
paying farmers to assess the condition of hedgerows and manage
them in a way that will work for wildlife and improve
biodiversity.
Farmers and land managers are also being supported to maintain
and restore hedgerows through Countryside Stewardship. There are
currently nearly 50,000 miles of hedgerows with one, or both
sides managed under Countryside or Environmental Stewardship
options and we’ve supported over 8,000 miles of hedgerow creation
or restoration through Countryside Stewardship capital grants.
The consultation will run until 20 September and seeks views on
the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as
well as on our approach to enforcement.
These include farmers maintaining a buffer strip alongside their
hedgerows, and not cutting or trimming hedgerows during bird
nesting and rearing season.
Combined, these measures will help achieve targets in the
Environmental Improvement Plan to create or restore 30,000 miles
of hedgerows by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows by 2050,
returning hedgerow lengths in England to 10% above the 1984 peak
(360,000 miles).
ENDS
Notes to
Editor:
