Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
2169. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications for environmental impact assessment screening for boundary removals that have been received; the number of screening applications approved; the corresponding length of hedgerows approved for removal on a year-by-year basis from 2010 to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41783/22]
View answerThe Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (Agriculture) Regulations came into force on the 8th of September 2011 and were further amended on 19th September 2017.
The Regulations apply to three different types of on-farm activities:
(1) restructuring of rural land holdings,
(2) commencing to use uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agriculture and
(3) land drainage works on lands used for agriculture (excluding drainage or reclamation of wetlands.
Where a landowner intends to carry out works that exceed the thresholds or sub-thresholds set out in the EIA (Agriculture) Regulations, at a minimum a screening application needs to the submitted to my Department. For more significant works or activities likely to have a significant effect on the environment a full EIA assessment is required.
Under the EIA (Agriculture) Regulations, between 2011 and the end of June 2022 a total of 987screening applications were received by my Department with 804 of these being approved by the end of June (some recent applications are still being processed). These applications related to different types of activities including boundary removals which fall under the heading ‘restructuring of rural land holdings.’ The removal of boundaries may include removal of stonewalls, clay banks and/or hedgerows.
The information requested covers an 11-year period, and is not readily available.
