Hedgerow regulations now law – Farming

In a submit printed final month, I stated I’d let you already know when Parliament handed the brand new hedgerow laws. In the present day, I’m doing simply that. 

The Administration of Hedgerows (England) Rules 2024 places the baseline for hedgerow administration practices into legislation, offering a constant method for his or her protection throughout the nation. 

This contains:

a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of a hedgerow, the place a inexperienced cowl should be established and maintained. Additionally, no cultivation or the applying of pesticides or fertilisers ought to happen inside this buffer strip
a hedgerow slicing ban from 1 March to 31 August (inclusive). 

As I discussed in my final submit, these practices are topic to exceptions which yow will discover within the laws. They broadly mirror the earlier method below cross compliance. It will make it simple for farmers and others who’re aware of the necessities.

Yow will discover steering on these guidelines and exemptions within the buffer strip steering and the slicing and trimming steering on GOV.UK. 

Many farmers and land managers are already going a lot additional than the principles contained within the new laws.  

That is proven via the uptake of hedgerow administration actions via our environmental land administration schemes. Over 20,000 agreements contribute to the administration of over 60,000 miles of hedgerows in England. 

The new laws assist these collaborating in our schemes or receiving grants by offering a foundation of fine hedgerow administration that every one should observe.  

Additional particulars on find out how to become involved in hedgerow administration provide could be discovered on the Funding for farmers, growers and land managers web page on GOV.UK and thru our devoted Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) web site.

The laws will probably be enforced by the Rural Funds Company (RPA), in a good and proportionate means and so they have been speaking to farmers and others about the perfect approaches. From day one, they’ll take an advice-led method, with stronger actions in solely the worst instances. 

The RPA will maintain a public session on find out how to implement and implement these protections sooner or later.

The laws are designed to supply an additional stage of reassurance that the identical administration method is used throughout the nation. 

Comply with the Rural Funds Company weblog for the most recent.