IFA Environment chairman, Harold Kingston has said the review of the controls under the Wildlife Act governing the control of burning and hedge-cutting launched by the Minister for Arts Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys is long overdue. “ The current rules are impractical and unnecessary and have been in need of amendment for a more flexible approach.The period of time for hedge-cutting should be extended as the window to carry out the necessary management of hedges and trees are impractical from both farming and a public safety point of view,” Mr Kingston said. In relation to the burning of heather, IFA Hill Committee chairman, Pat Dunne said that IFA has put forward that the dates needed to be changed in line with other countries such as the UK, where the burning dates are from September 1 until mid-April, as opposed to Ireland where the date is between September 1 and February 28. Pat Dunne said burning of heather is …
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