Hedge Cutting and Cross Compliance

It is important that hedges are not cut until after 31 August.

This is a Cross-Compliance requirement, aimed largely at protecting late - nesting birds or second broods, and securing a longer supply of food for a wider range of wildlife. The only exception to cutting before then is roadside hedges where there is a health and safety risk to road users.

Hedgerows are a characteristic feature of our landscape and in Northern Ireland, we have the highest density of field boundaries in the UK. They are an incredible asset to farms, valuable for wildlife, attractive in the landscape and are an important part of our heritage.

About half of the birds in Ireland which are of conservation priority are dependent on lowland farms and about three quarters of all lowland farm bird species are to be found in hedges, woodland and scrub.

In this especially wet summer, dense good size hedges have been providing valuable shelter for both stock and wildlife. Cutting farm hedges on a three year rotation to an ‘A’ shape as late in the year as possible is ideal from a conservation perspective. These dense hedges also provide a stock proof barrier and help protect against diseases spreading between cattle from nose-to-nose contact.

Countryside Management Branch offer advice on all aspects of hedge management, and funding is available for participants in the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Scheme and Countryside Management Scheme (CMS) for certain aspects of hedge work.

For further information contact Countryside Management staff at your local DARD office.

To cut or not to cut?