CPRE Wiltshire welcomes cash to boost hedgerows

CPRE Wiltshire welcomes government decision to double payments to farmers for hedgerows but insists on 40% increase target

CPRE Wiltshire has welcomed the government’s decision to double payments to farmers to create hedgerows as it increases its cash offers for post-Brexit green schemes – but says the target to increase the hedgerow network by 40% by 2050 should still be the goal.

The charity, which campaigns for the preservation of the countryside and rural ways of life, has been campaigning for increased funding which would see more hedgerows planted and restored as part of its ’40 by 50′ campaign.

An investigation by CPRE found that boosting hedgerows by 40% would create 25,000 full time equivalent jobs in hedgerow planting and management over the next 30 years in both rural and urban areas and yield almost £4 for every £1 invested. 

The target of a 40% increase has been recommended by The Climate Change Committee (CCC).

Anne Henshaw, Chair of CPRE Wiltshire, says:

“The humble hedgerow is the unsung hero of our countryside, but we have lost half of them since the end of the Second World War. 

“Hedgerows are the vital stitching in the patchwork of our countryside. Not only are they beautiful, with shifting seasonal colours, but they also provide homes and corridors for wildlife. And all the while they help tackle the climate crisis by capturing carbon.

“I encourage everyone from farmers to landowners and local authorities to embrace the humble hedgerow and help rebuild these countryside superhighways.

“Whilst this is welcome news from the government, we cannot rest on our laurels until we have reached the target of a 40% increase by 2050 and reversed some of the damage which the previous decades have wrought on our countryside.”

Between 1950 and 1975, the loss of hedges became one of the most shocking and visible aspects of damage to the English countryside. Since then, tens of thousands of miles of hedges have been taken out. Although many farmers look after their hedges, changes in the nature of farming have been one of the major causes of the disappearance of hedgerows across the countryside.

So far, 49,549 people have signed the charity’s petition, only 451 short of its target of 50,000.

Read the CPRE Hedge Fund: Executive Summary here