It was my privilege to join Teagasc and the Heritage Council for the launch of National Hedgerow Week 2024 and no better place to be than Birr Castle. Next week will see an action-packed week of events taking place on Teagasc farms throughout the country.
National Hedgerow Week aims to raise awareness of the importance of hedgerows, which in many ways are the lifeblood of our countryside, offering sanctuary to wildlife, improving soil health, and connecting fragmented habitats.
By caring for and protecting our hedgerows, we can safeguard the natural heritage that defines our rural communities as well as delivering for carbon sequestration, soil health, water quality and biodiversity.
The magnificent Birr Castle is an ideal location to celebrate biodiversity in the Irish landscape, with its range of habitats from lakes, rivers, and waterfalls, to hedges and tree trails, all found within this 50ha Demesne.
It is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna including herons, kingfishers, and red squirrels, as well as a traditionally managed wildflower meadow with up to 90 different flower species occurring in and around it.
Occupying approximately two thirds of Ireland’s land area, farmland and farmers are central to Ireland’s biodiversity. As we saw today, biodiversity on farmlands is enhanced by supporting habitats such as grasslands and grass margins, woodlands, peatlands, and hedgerows.
Hedgerows are a significant component of the Irish landscape, and we are fortunate to have retained an extensive hedgerow network, with an estimated length of 689,000km according to Teagasc research.
They are multifunctional, acting not only as stock proof fencing and boundary markers, but also providing invaluable ecosystem services – carbon storage, wildlife corridors.
The value of hedgerows as a habitat on farmland has been recognised through agri-environmental schemes since 1994 with the first Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) Since then, my department has worked to improve and advance hedgerow measures through its Agri -Environmental Schemes such as AEOS, GLAS, and currently ACRES.
These schemes have facilitated the planting of over 11,000 km of new native species hedgerows and the rejuvenation of over 6000 km more through traditional hedgerow maintenance.
My Department has strengthened the level of protection hedgerows receive, with the EU Basic Payment Scheme identifying hedgerows as Landscape Features, protecting hedgerows under Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards and Cross Compliance.
But we know we need to go further and introduce updated EIA Agriculture Regulations that are fit for purpose to protect this vital resource, and I am determined to do everything I can to bring about political agreement on this – because it has been stalled for too long.
This year Hedgerow Week coincides with the opening of hedgerow cutting season starting the 1st of September. When cutting hedges, safety really is paramount and my department is continuously campaigning for safety when conducting farming activities, and this includes managing hedges. It is important to always use well trained contractors and correct equipment to carry out hedgerow maintenance.
And it’s important to say that both Teagasc and the Farming for Nature initiative have published excellent material regarding best practice for hedgerow management, which I really would encourage farmers to engage with.
The last thing left to say is a huge thank you to the organisers in Teagasc and the Heritage Council, and I hope everyone enjoys National Hedgerow Week which runs from this Friday to next Friday.
A full list of events taking place throughout the country is available here: https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/biodiversity--countryside/farmland-habitats/hedgerows/hedgerow-week-/
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