# The Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Cross Compliance) (England) Regulations 2004, Paragraph 12: Hedgerows


(1) Except where sub-paragraph (2), (3) or (4) applies, a farmer must not cut or trim any hedgerow during the period within any year beginning with 1st March and ending with 31st July.
(2) A farmer may cut or trim a hedgerow at any time if it is necessary to cut or trim it because—
(a) it overhangs a highway or any other road or footpath to which the public has access so as to endanger or obstruct the passage of vehicles or pedestrians;
(b) it obstructs or interferes with the view of drivers of vehicles or the light from a public lamp;
(c) it overhangs a highway so as to endanger or obstruct the passage of horse-riders; or
(d) it is dead, diseased, damaged or insecurely rooted, and because of its condition it, or part of it, is likely to cause danger by falling on a highway, road or footpath.
(3) A farmer may carry out hedge-laying and coppicing during the period beginning with 1st March and ending with 30th April.
(4) A farmer may trim a hedgerow by hand during a period of six months beginning with the first day after the hedgerow was laid.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3196/schedule/paragraph/12 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/common-agricultural-policy-single-payment-and-support-schemes-cross-compliance-england-regulations-2004/schedule/paragraph-12
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.