Thread by @pippa_hackett

I am the Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, and I will call out bad & needless practice when I see it. Some might turn a blind eye - I won’t. Why would I? I regularly highlight positive actions, and I can assure you all that those are much more satisfying to report. 1/10

Of course certain actions are sometimes necessary, and indeed legal, but that does not mean it is always the RIGHT thing to do. This applies both to farmers and public bodies. Nature is under huge pressure. Ecology is breaking down. #BiodiversityCrisis 2/10

Yes, burning bushes is legal, but doing it during a high fire risk warning & during the nesting season is not right. Birds such as Blackbird, Robin & Wren will often nest in bushes piled up in the spring. Hedgehogs too may seek hibernation in such habitats over the winter. 3/10

Some practical, nature friendly solutions are needed to deal with these brush piles. Burning them cannot be the only answer. I will ask my Department to look into how we can turn this burning issue into something more positive for nature. For example: tinyurl.com/yzf3b6cd 4/10

Removing trees and vegetation may well be subject to some form of derogation from the law, but removing them during nesting season is simply not right, or fair. #BiodiversityCrisis 5/10

Mowing the verges along roads is allowed, but road safety aside, is it always really necessary? And is it the right thing to do in a #BiodiversityCrisis? These are the questions to ask. 6/10

Cutting hedges so frequently and tightly that they never produce flowers or fruit, and probably provide no home for birds to nest in, is just not right. But hedges can be managed well, even with a flail, but it needs a sympathetic approach. #Hedgerows 7/10

Yet there are so many good practices taking place on farms across the country, and I will continue to champion them when I see them. For example, here’s an account of a dairy farmer reducing his fertiliser use: irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-4… 8/10

Leaving margins around fields, allowing hedges to blossom and fruit, farmers working collectively to promote biodiversity and water quality, and those farming to promote soil health by reducing chemical inputs. There are so many positive examples... 9/10

It’s time we all started to do the right thing for nature. Every tree, every hedge, every area of scrub we take out is a habitat lost. A habitat that some small creature relies on for food, for shelter, to rear its young. Nature needs our help. #DoTheRightThing 10/10