The United Kingdom is discussing a bill that does not provide for the protections previously reserved for hedges, the habitat of many animals including hedgehogs
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himLa Brexit it will not only have repercussions on British citizens, but it could also have repercussions on the fauna and, in particular, on the ricci.
In fact, British hedgehogs risk being affected by the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union because hedges they could be excluded from the protections they enjoyed until a few days ago.
European legislation stipulates that hedges cannot be pruned during the bird nesting season and that certain areas are spared from plowing and pesticide spraying.
These standards allow you to protect a natural habitat of birds and wild mammals that take refuge in the hedges.
"Hedges may be just dividers between crops for us, but they are often hidden worlds, teeming with the amazing wildlife that calls our arable land," said Tom Lancaster of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Il new agriculture bill under discussion in the English House of Commons, no longer having to submit to European laws, did not provide the same protections for hedges and this could soon lead to a further reduction of habitat for hedgehogs, already down by 97% from the 50s to today.
Although the new bill provides subsidies for farmers who are committed to preserving habitats, it does not include rules on hedge pruning or limits on the use of pesticides.
“The agriculture bill includes fundamental new powers to pay farmers to restore nature, but is silent on the rules and regulations for agriculture in the future. With the change that Brexit will bring, this presents real risks to our lands and hedges and the nature that depends on them, ”Lancaster said.
Cutting hedges while nesting could have disastrous effects on wildlife. Hedgehogs would be among the most affected species, but dormice, mice, numerous birds including turtle doves and yellowhammer would also be affected, without forgetting pollinating insects.
Its during the nesting season, which runs from February to August, the hedges produce essential flowers for insects. If the hedges can be cut in spring and early summer, many flowers would be lost and, as a result, bees, bumblebees and other insects would be in serious trouble.
The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has ensured that environmental standards will not be reduced and that the country will continue to work to improve agriculture and the environment, but environmentalists are concerned about the gaps in the new bill.
“Unless the government begins to fill in the gaps left behind by leaving EU regulation, our land, hedges and wildlife that depend on them are at risk.
We need firm but fair enforcement and advice to ensure that food is produced to high environmental standards across the country, ”said Debbie Tripley of WWF.
Read also:
- Hedgehog love season doesn't keep Germans to sleep. Signal boom for moans and screams
- Hedgehogs appear in new warning signs for small wild animals
- Flowers and hedges in cultivated fields to increase agricultural production and reduce pesticides
- Brexit, goodbye to Erasmus in the UK, controversy breaks out
