Hard to see why farmer Joe needs to cut a hedge clearly already tidy.
Please do.
Take down any details if possible like the reg of the machine if it has one.
Photos taken this morning. They’ve cut back approximately 200m of hedgerow. This is obviously ignorant bollox behaviour given the time of year & the pressure bird populations have been under due to bird flu, but will anything be done if I report it?
Before people start ranting about farmers (and yes, there are plenty of bad ones), the person responsible for this is a wealthy retired business owner
Yes. Environmental destruction.
100%, do it straight away. I would actually call the Garda station and ask them to come out straight away as they could stop him in his tracks. No point reporting after the fact.
>Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or other destruction of vegetation growing on “any land not then cultivated” between 1st March and 31st August annually
Yes
Report, in detail, with evidence.
There’s an exemption for hedge cutting along roads where they’re obstructing views. It’s obviously not the case here because it’s a straight section of road,but there’s enough of a grey area that they’d be unlikely to be prosecuted.
That said, a few harsh words might make them realise what they’re doing
You can report illegal hedge cutting on the NPWS Wildlife Crime App ‘Paw Ireland’
>According to Section 22 of the Wildlife Acts it is also a **criminal offence** to wilfully destroy, injure, or mutilate the eggs or nest of a wild bird or to wilfully disturb a wild bird on or near a nest containing eggs or un-flown young birds at any time of the year.
>Suspected breaches of Section 40 of the Wildlife Act can be reported to [WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie](mailto:WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie) or your local NPWS office (see: [Contact Us](https://www.npws.ie/contact-us)). Breaches of Section 40 of the Wildlife Act constitute a wildlife crime and may result in prosecution.
Report it now. These fucks think they can fuck around without consequences
I feel, without being too critical of you, this is a situation where a few questions to the fella cutting might dissuade them. Your instincts are right.
Arent there exceptions?
Good on ya OP. Most would have driven right on by. I hope they get the book thrown at them!
Yes! Please report it, also record it and call the gardí, he’s just killed so many young birds by doing that 🥺
You have little to be at OP
Absolutely report it, your doing the right thing especially since small birds are nesting this time of year.
Grow up OP.
Yes! Clear as day, this is a Section 40 offence.
Report to wildlifeenforcement@npws.gov.ie
A short email describing the offense with location , date, and any names or registrations you know.
Piss takers like this need tackling!
jaysus lads this is one of the few times I’m glad I go on reddit. 1. I didn’t know cutting hedges was an offence 2. I didn’t know there was anything you could do about it. 3. lovely to see there are so many people who are active about protecting our wildlife. fair fucks to ye
It’s rampant.
There seems to be an entrance behind the digger, you can legally cut back hedges for visibility
always worth reporting! it only takes a few minutes to do it
Probably has an exemption. Could have asked him before jumping straight to conclusions
Depressing the number of posters who don’t care or would happily collaborate with environmental destruction.
What’s the definition of a hedge can I ask? As I can only see cow parsley in what’s cut
Call the guards
The guards are to be called
I’m going to go completely against the grain here as say don’t report it (even though I see you have).
Looking at the first image it looks like they’re clearing for sight lines.
Clearing hedging along roadways isn’t illegal.
In fact I’d go as far as to say it should be encouraged (depending on time of year) as it dramatically improves road safety on rural roads such as this.
That’s a relatively narrow road being encroached on both sides by hedging and grass verges.
Have any of you gone for a cycle/ run or pushed a pram down a road like this with a tractor & trailer and a school bus coming towards you from both directions ??
Visibility is key to everyone’s safety in situations like this.
If this was the middle of a field I’d completely agree with the bulk of comments here but in my opinion that entrance is now safer as a result of the trimming.
Yes its illegal and damaging to local wildlife.
TIL about hedge trimming regulations. Thanks!
Why is hedge cutting on a country road a big evil. But almost everyone in south Dublin (and I assume everywhere else there are suburbs) has been doing this 4 times each summer. Why is one ok and there other not? I’ve never heard of anyone been reported for domestic hedge cutting.
There really needs to be a middle ground as many of these roads are dangerous to drive down. It’s the farmers responsibility to cut them not the council. If they don’t get cut then it is a danger, seeing on coming traffic and pulling in. It can cause friction with neighbours as the person who owns the field is responsible for maintaining a tidy ditch. It’s coming up to silage season and tractors need to pass through with big loads, so too do all sorts of big vehicles for various reasons.
If the council was responsible for it perhaps it would suit everyone. People, ‘blow ins’ are too quick to look for faults at people in the countryside. OP, could have had a conversation with the man standing in the road.
Absolutely
Our bird populations are recovering nicely this year and it’s lads like that who’ll bring us back again.
When I was in court I saw a farmer have to pay out big money for illegally clearing land and trimming hedge
100%
Yeah they will actually act on this
Did you ask him if he has an exemption to do this?
It’s allowed. Residential property can cut all year round and if it poses a road safety risk it can be cut also.
It’s always worth reporting stuff like that.
Well done.
Reporting it? It’s a legal requirement imposed by local councils on farmers to keep their hedging cleared!
It’s also part of your planning permission when building a house to have boundaries that cannot impede the road through overgrowth, ruling out all trees and most shrubs!
41 comments
Hard to see why farmer Joe needs to cut a hedge clearly already tidy.
Please do.
Take down any details if possible like the reg of the machine if it has one.
Photos taken this morning. They’ve cut back approximately 200m of hedgerow. This is obviously ignorant bollox behaviour given the time of year & the pressure bird populations have been under due to bird flu, but will anything be done if I report it?
Before people start ranting about farmers (and yes, there are plenty of bad ones), the person responsible for this is a wealthy retired business owner
Yes. Environmental destruction.
100%, do it straight away. I would actually call the Garda station and ask them to come out straight away as they could stop him in his tracks. No point reporting after the fact.
Yes report it.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/land/hedge-cutting/
https://www.npws.ie/legislation/irish-law/restrictions-cutting-hedgerows
>Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or other destruction of vegetation growing on “any land not then cultivated” between 1st March and 31st August annually
Yes
Report, in detail, with evidence.
There’s an exemption for hedge cutting along roads where they’re obstructing views. It’s obviously not the case here because it’s a straight section of road,but there’s enough of a grey area that they’d be unlikely to be prosecuted.
That said, a few harsh words might make them realise what they’re doing
You can report illegal hedge cutting on the NPWS Wildlife Crime App ‘Paw Ireland’
There are exceptions, [but](https://www.npws.ie/legislation/irish-law/restrictions-cutting-hedgerows):
>According to Section 22 of the Wildlife Acts it is also a **criminal offence** to wilfully destroy, injure, or mutilate the eggs or nest of a wild bird or to wilfully disturb a wild bird on or near a nest containing eggs or un-flown young birds at any time of the year.
>Suspected breaches of Section 40 of the Wildlife Act can be reported to [WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie](mailto:WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie) or your local NPWS office (see: [Contact Us](https://www.npws.ie/contact-us)). Breaches of Section 40 of the Wildlife Act constitute a wildlife crime and may result in prosecution.
Report it now. These fucks think they can fuck around without consequences
I feel, without being too critical of you, this is a situation where a few questions to the fella cutting might dissuade them. Your instincts are right.
Arent there exceptions?
Good on ya OP. Most would have driven right on by. I hope they get the book thrown at them!
Yes! Please report it, also record it and call the gardí, he’s just killed so many young birds by doing that 🥺
You have little to be at OP
Absolutely report it, your doing the right thing especially since small birds are nesting this time of year.
Grow up OP.
Yes! Clear as day, this is a Section 40 offence.
Report to wildlifeenforcement@npws.gov.ie
A short email describing the offense with location , date, and any names or registrations you know.
Piss takers like this need tackling!
jaysus lads this is one of the few times I’m glad I go on reddit. 1. I didn’t know cutting hedges was an offence 2. I didn’t know there was anything you could do about it. 3. lovely to see there are so many people who are active about protecting our wildlife. fair fucks to ye
It’s rampant.
There seems to be an entrance behind the digger, you can legally cut back hedges for visibility
always worth reporting! it only takes a few minutes to do it
Probably has an exemption. Could have asked him before jumping straight to conclusions
Depressing the number of posters who don’t care or would happily collaborate with environmental destruction.
What’s the definition of a hedge can I ask? As I can only see cow parsley in what’s cut
Call the guards
The guards are to be called
I’m going to go completely against the grain here as say don’t report it (even though I see you have).
Looking at the first image it looks like they’re clearing for sight lines.
Clearing hedging along roadways isn’t illegal.
In fact I’d go as far as to say it should be encouraged (depending on time of year) as it dramatically improves road safety on rural roads such as this.
That’s a relatively narrow road being encroached on both sides by hedging and grass verges.
Have any of you gone for a cycle/ run or pushed a pram down a road like this with a tractor & trailer and a school bus coming towards you from both directions ??
Visibility is key to everyone’s safety in situations like this.
If this was the middle of a field I’d completely agree with the bulk of comments here but in my opinion that entrance is now safer as a result of the trimming.
Yes its illegal and damaging to local wildlife.
TIL about hedge trimming regulations. Thanks!
Why is hedge cutting on a country road a big evil. But almost everyone in south Dublin (and I assume everywhere else there are suburbs) has been doing this 4 times each summer. Why is one ok and there other not? I’ve never heard of anyone been reported for domestic hedge cutting.
There really needs to be a middle ground as many of these roads are dangerous to drive down. It’s the farmers responsibility to cut them not the council. If they don’t get cut then it is a danger, seeing on coming traffic and pulling in. It can cause friction with neighbours as the person who owns the field is responsible for maintaining a tidy ditch. It’s coming up to silage season and tractors need to pass through with big loads, so too do all sorts of big vehicles for various reasons.
If the council was responsible for it perhaps it would suit everyone. People, ‘blow ins’ are too quick to look for faults at people in the countryside. OP, could have had a conversation with the man standing in the road.
Absolutely
Our bird populations are recovering nicely this year and it’s lads like that who’ll bring us back again.
When I was in court I saw a farmer have to pay out big money for illegally clearing land and trimming hedge
100%
Yeah they will actually act on this
Did you ask him if he has an exemption to do this?
It’s allowed. Residential property can cut all year round and if it poses a road safety risk it can be cut also.
It’s always worth reporting stuff like that.
Well done.
Reporting it? It’s a legal requirement imposed by local councils on farmers to keep their hedging cleared!
It’s also part of your planning permission when building a house to have boundaries that cannot impede the road through overgrowth, ruling out all trees and most shrubs!
Anything but a bit of biodiversity…
Comments are closed.