5 Dec 2023
Legislation, drafted following a request for assistance from Hedgerows Ireland (Tipperary), to be introduced in the Oireachtas by the Green Party
A Bill aimed at protecting hedgerows which has been drafted on a pro-bono basis by a group of barristers following a request for assistance from Hedgerows Ireland (Tipperary), was launched at an event in The Bar of Ireland on 4th December. The launch is the first event in The Bar of Ireland’s Natural Justice Campaign, through which it aims to improve public knowledge on the intersection of law and the environment, facilitate links with the community in responding to environmental issues and equip individuals to take action.
The Protection of Hedgerows Bill 2023 - which was drafted by the Hedgerows Legislation Project, a working group of Comhshaol - The Climate Bar Association, introduces the concept of ‘significant hedgerows’ and a requirement for permission to be sought by landowners for their removal. The Green Party intends to introduce it in the Oireachtas as a private members bill next year. While some protection is afforded to hedgerows in current legislation, the Hedgerows Legislation Project determined that, because it is limited and much of it indirect, the hedgerow network continues to be eroded. It is estimated that there are 689,000 km of native Irish hedgerows in Ireland, but they are being removed at an unsustainable rate. A 2019 survey by the EPA reported the loss to be at a rate of at least 0.16%, or 1,100 km removed per annum.* A study undertaken in Monaghan in 2021 concluded that between 0.5% and 0.88% of hedgerow was removed in the county per annum in the study period, much higher than the EPA figure. The authors estimated that almost 10% of the county’s hedgerows had been lost over the ten year period to 2021.