§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action is being taken to ensure that European Union regulations do not lead to the destruction of hedgerows and, in particular, of those hedgerows which are protected under pre-1840 Enclosure Acts. [HL335]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)Important hedges are protected by the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. Guidance has been given to farmers encouraging them to seek advice about minimising the environmental impact of any action they may need to take to adjust the width of a hedge or other field margin in order to be able to continue claiming arable area payments on the full area of their fields.