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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Feb 1998

Vol. 487 No. 7

Written Answers. - Wildlife Protection.

Martin Brady

Question:

249 Mr. M. Brady asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the measures, if any, in force to protect wildlife during hedgecutting, haycutting and silage time; the enforcement procedures, if any, which are in place; and the prosecutions, if any, which have been recorded. [5199/98]

Section 40 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, recognises the value of habitats such as hedgerows for nesting birds and other wildlife and provides protection subject to certain execeptions, against the cutting, grubbing, burning, etc., of any vegetation on uncultivated land during the period 15 April to 31 August. The provisions of section 40 against the cutting, grubbing, burning, etc., are enforced by the ranger staff of Dúchas, the Heritage Service of my Department, and it is the policy to prosecute offenders when the necessary evidence is available to bring a prosecution under the Act. However, tracing the source of fires on mountainous areas and catching offenders make the enforcement of these provisions difficult and there have been no prosecutions under this section of the Act in recent times.

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