New hedge must be planted before old one removed, farmers told
A hedge is defined by the department as a line of shrubs and/or trees, maintained to form a barrier for controlling animals or marking land boundaries.
Farmers have been reminded that the only exceptions allowing removal of hedgerows are for farmyard expansion, widening gaps for larger machinery, or road or farm safety issues. Only the minimum necessary length of hedge can be removed.
Under road safety, an unacceptable level of risk must be identified by the Local Authority, the National Roads Authority, or the Gardaí before a hedge can be removed (for example, if a laneway is too narrow for modern machinery or commercial vehicles).
