Department’s document sets out land projects which must be screened

FARMERS can repair stone walls, maintain hedgerows for cross compliance, and remove post and wire fencing without permission from the Department of Agriculture, according to the Department’s guidance document.

But any proposed activity which could affect a European site (such as a SAC or SPA), an NHA or nature reserve, or a national monument, must be screened. The guidance document gives examples where screening is required — such as removing a hedgerow between two fields whose area (including the hedgerows) exceeds five hectares, or if a field boundary to be removed exceeds 500 metres.

To determine if screening is needed for sub-threshold works which may have a significant effect on the environment, matters to consider include relative abundance of landscape features, species diversity of hedgerows being removed, and proximity to designated areas.