Farmers always win if our ecology is at risk

The announcement before Christmas by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphries that hedge cutting will be allowed in August should be met with shame.

It shows just how hollow this government’s claims are about protecting biodiversity, our land and its future.

Once again sectoral interests were given priority over the truth.

It was the IFA who made the bizarre claim that birds were nesting earlier and so did not need August as refuge anymore and these claims appear to have gone unchallenged.

The Irish media, who just ignored these attempts to put farmers needs before ecology, are not without blame.

They have a duty to expose regulations which will further collapse our bird populations, further increase insect numbers and further increase the insect borne diseases that will follow.

All are to blame.

John Farrelly

Whithworth Road

Drumcondra

Dublin 9