Consultation outcome

Protecting hedgerows in England

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
28 June 2023
Last updated
4 March 2024 — See all updates
This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Applies to England

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Summary of responses and government response

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Detail of outcome

Respondents agreed that hedgerows are valuable assets to our landscape and an important resource. There was a broad consensus that because of their value, hedgerows should be protected through regulation.

The government will now seek to regulate to protect hedgerows. As required in legislation, a further consultation will be published on the statutory guidance setting out the fair and proportionate enforcement approach.

Detail of feedback received

We received 8,841 responses to this consultation.

Original consultation

Summary

Seeking views on how we can best protect hedgerows and the wildlife they support through English law.

This consultation was held on another website.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

We want to know how we can best protect hedgerows through effective, proportionate regulation as we phase out farm subsidies and cross compliance rules.

As we replace the EU’s land-based subsidies with our new farming schemes, we also move away from cross compliance rules.

For the good of the hedgerow and the wildlife it supports, farmers currently must:

  • maintain a buffer strip along their hedgerows
  • not remove important hedgerows
  • not cut or trim hedgerows during bird nesting and rearing season

We’re seeking views on the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as well as how we enforce them.

Updates to this page

Published 28 June 2023
Last updated 4 March 2024 + show all updates

  1. Added the summary of responses and government response.

  2. Added information about the number of responses received.

  3. First published.

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