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<p>Now that we have left the EU, we have an opportunity to reform our regulatory system
for farming and land management to better meet the country’s needs, unconstrained
by the Common Agricultural Policy. We will take this opportunity to develop a modern
regulatory system that effectively targets and addresses the causes of harm but is
fair to farmers and reflects the realities of farming today.</p><p>While no formal
assessment of the effect of the removal of cross compliance provisions on management
of hedgerows and carbon sequestration has been undertaken, we will ensure that our
high environmental standards are maintained as we move away from cross compliance.</p><p>There
are existing legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross
compliance, through the Hedgerows Regulations 1997. These regulations prohibit the
removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval
from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and
should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological
value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests
are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing,
injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These
regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and
for farmland birds.</p><p>In addition to these legislative protections, our new environmental
land management schemes will also continue to fund the management of hedgerows, in
recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside.</p><p>We
will also continue to keep our domestic regulatory standards under review, raising
standards according to new evidence and research, in line with our ambition for an
improved future regulatory system.</p><p> </p>
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