‘I would have thought people’s safety was more important than frogs’ safety’ said Cllr Finbarr Harrington at Tuesday’s meeting of Cork County Council, as he expressed his dismay that no changes to the hedgecutting season are to be considered.
The discussion came on foot of a letter received from the office of Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage, and Biodiversity.
He wasn’t the only councillor to mention frogs, as many councillors decried the response from the Clonakilty TD’s department, that the minister ‘has no power or discretion’ to alter the dates within which hedgecutting is permitted.
Hedgecutting is not allowed from September 1st to the end of February, except in certain cases where there is a road safety issue.
Cllr Harrington said the response was ‘not good for motorists, and not good for biodiversity’, claiming that farmers would ‘panic’ in the case of a road accident or incident from trees that were on their land, and then ask a contractor to cut the hedge well back, as ‘he won’t be able to go at it again until September’.
The contractor then ‘hacks it to death’ said Cllr Harrington, ultimately hindering any biodiversity benefits.
The Beara councillor continued to say that he felt many farmers were ‘frightened’ to cut the hedge back between March and September, for fear of fines.
His statements were echoed by multiple councillors, many of whom cited claims or examples of lorry drivers breaking the mirrors.
Cllr Joe Carroll asked if the Council would be before the courts should an accident occur, if a lorry or bus had to pull out into the road because of the overgrowth of trees: ‘are we [the Council] not providing roads for the people?’
There was one lone dissenting voice, from Rosscarbery councillor Isobel Towse.
Cllr Towse admitted that she was ‘vastly outnumbered’ in voices, but stated her opinion that ‘the risk to life is being overstated’.
The Social Democrat councillor also pointed out that the changes to the hedgecutting season were prevented at an EU level in any case; article five of the Birds Directive prohibits ‘deliberate disturbance of these birds particularly during the period of breeding and rearing’.
Nevertheless, the matter is unlikely to be left at that, as Cllr Joe Carroll observed that the matter of the hedgecutting season is discussed ‘year after year and we’re getting nowhere’.
‘We might come back and discuss it again next year’.
