§ 5. Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to give greater official support to efforts to preserve hedgerows and to leave areas of land in a condition which will encourage the survival and preservation of wild life.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThe importance of conservation is emphasised in many of the information and advisory activities of my Department and in the training of those responsible for them.
§ Mr. HardyWill the hon. Gentleman agree that more urgency appears to be necessary in approaching this problem, particularly in view of the fact that many thousands of miles of hedgerow have been removed in recent years, after perhaps quite unnecessarily?
§ Mr. StodartI deplore many instances of hedgerow removal. In fact, I believe that there is a case on an efficiency argument for pulling out some hedges, but I feel that it has been overdone. I am glad to be able to say that the peak has been passed.