MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has accused nature charities of causing mischief in claiming farmers are now free to destroy the homes of nesting birds.
He says no farmer willingly cuts hedges in the nesting season - and if roadside hedges have to be trimmed at that time of the year it is solely in the interests of road safety.
Mr Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, was responding to claims by the RSPB and others that with EU cross-compliance rules having been terminated at the end of 2023 farmers were now entirely free to cut hedges in spring and summer.
Campaigners say with no UK-based replacement protocols in place massive damage could be caused to the country’s bird population.
But Mr Liddell-Grainger said the pronouncement was not based on fact - or indeed knowledge - and was yet another mischievous assumption by charities designed purely to blacken the name of British farmers in the public’s eye.
“There are several practical reasons why no farmer would seek to cut a hedge at nesting time,” he said.
“The first is that if he intended to promote new growth he would do the work during winter dormancy well ahead of nesting time.
“And secondly if he wanted to reduce the size of the hedge cutting from springtime until autumn is practically impossible because fields will be full of growing crops.”
Mr Liddell-Grainger said farmers remained the best guardians of wildlife.
“Speak to any farmer and you will encounter someone who cares passionately about bird life and is keen to see species thrive: not some environmental vandal who wants to destroy every bird’s nest in sight.
“I am disappointed that the National Trust has seen fit to sign up to this unwarranted and unfounded attack on the farming community - though since its own policies now seem more designed to supporting environmental projects rather than the profitable, productive farming of its estates perhaps I should not be surprised.”
