(Hedge)Laying the foundation for better farming biodiversity

The rolling hill of north Westmeath were alive last week with the sound of axes at work.

Around a dozen farmers from across the region travelled to Kelly’s farm outside Collinstown for a one day introductory course in hedge laying organised by the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland (HLAI).

Hedgelaying is a traditional farm management technique dating back thousands of years that’s used to keep hedges thick and bushy so that they can shelter animals.

It involves cutting hedgerow stems most of the way through near ground level so that they will bend without breaking and will continue to grow. New growth comes from the cut stump, rejuvenating the hedge and thickening up the base.

Well laid hedges are also important wildlife havens and have been proven to improve biodiversity. Since the introduction of the Glas Scheme in 2015, increasing numbers of farmers have become aware of the importance of biodiversity and the demand for places on courses has risen accordingly.

Collinstown farmer Christopher Kelly was one of the participants on the course, which was held on his land. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner he explained why he became interested in hedgelaying.

“Over the last 20 years we have planted roughly 850m of hedge on the farm and it has all got to the stage now where it is nicely established and just needs to be taken that next step forward; that next step for me is hedgelaying in order to increase the biodiversity of the hedge and to make nature corridors out of them. I’m not interested in them from a livestock fencing point of view, I want them as an addition to the biodiversity in the area.

“I think following Covid people are starting to have a look around and rethink that maybe in Ireland there isn’t enough nature and biodiversity. There has to be an interest in our hedges because they are such a carbon sink. There are 689,000km of hedges in Ireland and 90 per cent of those have been appraised to be in an unfavourable condition so we need to start doing something with our hedges in order to make them as environmentally beneficial to us as possible.”

The idea that the concerns of farmers and environmentalists are perpetually at odds is one that Christopher doesn’t hold.

“I shouldn’t be the case because most of what is happening in the countryside is happening on the farm. For me, having planted this number of hedges it just made sense to me to carry on with the process and to make the hedges as productive as possible.

“I keep bees as well and it’s well known that white torn is a lovely source of honey in the spring, but if you cut your hedges every year you’ll have no flowers, because the flowers blossom on two year old growth.”

Laying a hedge, which only needs to be done every 20 or 30 years and can extend the life of many species indefinitely, is labour intensive, but Christopher says that it is satisfying work.

“You wouldn’t be expected to lay all of your hedges in one year. I planted 850m of hedges. They are all roughly at the hedge laying stage, but I’d only be looking at doing the likes of 50 to 80m a year. You can’t expect or even want to do them all every year. Fifty metres a year over the period of October to February/March should be possible, so over ten years I’ll have them all laid,” he said.

Christopher’s brother Jonathan and his son Matthew, who have a farm in Lisclogher, also took part in the course. Jonathan’s interest in hedgelaying was piqued when he attending the All Ireland Hedgelaying Championship in Moate last year.

“We have a lot of hedges and they need a bit of attention. We are also interested in biodiversity.”

Traditional farm methods such as hedgelaying, which was practised throughout the country prior to the mechanisation of farming, could also have other less tangible benefits too, he says.

“..We are all rushing everywhere, maybe some of these jobs that slow you down aren’t too bad,” he said.

Eamonn McLoughlin from Moate was one of the instructors who gave the course. One of the things that he most happy about on the day was that there were almost as many female participants as male.

“It will great to see the women taking up the axes and billhooks and having an interest in it. It is a great thing to see. A qualified hedgelaying instructor for 20 years, Eamonn says that while it is positive that because of the Glas Scheme more farmers are looking at laying hedges on their land, it is important that the correct methods are used.

“One of the problems is that we are getting it hard to get through to the Department of Agriculture to make them understand that hedgelaying like the way it was done in Collinstown.

“Hedges should not be broken down with a digger or any other machine. All they are doing is breaking the stems off at the ground and generally the hedge in a year or so just dies. That is the major problem we are finding.

“If hedgelaying is an option in the environmental scheme, there should be a major distinction between what is done right and what is done wrong, and the department should not give out payments for what isn’t done right. It does more harm than good.”

A lack of knowledge is the reason why hedges are being destroyed at present, Eamonn says.

“A hedge should be laid with an axe, a billhook and a chainsaw and no other way.”