Independent Ireland councillor for Ballyjamesduff - Cootehill, Shane P O’Reilly has said that the lives of birds, flora, and fauna are being taken "above that of human life", regarding hedge cutting.

The councillor told Agriland that Ireland has a "consistent" problem with hedge cutting, and explained that he believes the dates are "very rigid".

Hedge cutting is prohibited between March 1 and August 31 under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976.

According to O'Reilly, landowners or local authorities are allowed to tend to hedges, if growth is "inhibiting" people who are driving.

He said: "We have a situation where the lives of birds, flora, and fauna are being taken above that of human life. I’m annoyed about it.

"People are being stopped from keeping hedge rows along roads that are causing problems, that is leading to accidents and everything else," O'Reilly added.

The councillor called for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to "address" the situation.

According to the councillor, the issue has been discussed at meetings of Cavan County Council.

O'Reilly said: "It was one of my colleagues that brought forward the motion asking for it to be brought forward a month, so that the cutting could be done earlier.

"It’s not the council, the council can only do what national legislation allows. It’s up to our national legislators in the Oireachtas to deal with this. The council can only do what the legislation says, their hands are tied," he added.

O'Reilly noted that Ireland's flora and fauna are "very important, but that there is an "equilibrium" to be achieved.

He said: "At the end of the day, birds will move somewhere else, you can’t move a road. There will be thousands of people vehemently opposed to my opinion, but my opinion is my opinion.

"What exactly do we want? Do we want places for people to actually live? Or do we want to bring the country to a complete and utter shut down, due to environmentalists" O'Reilly added.

Separately, earlier this month (July 1), Hedgerows Ireland secretary Alan Moore claimed that every year there is “unnecessary confusion” with the laws surrounding hedge cutting.

Moore said he wanted “to set the record straight’ and pointed to Section 70 of the 1993 Roads Act, which outlines that landowners can trim roadside hedges if visibility is compromised as a matter of public safety.

Moore said: “We would however ask contractors to take a conservative approach to any necessary roadside hedge cutting during the nesting season.

Moore stated that the reasons behind the hedge cutting restrictions are twofold – first of all a great number of birds nest within hedgerows throughout the summer.

He said secondly that birds “also use them for feeding as uncut hedges create shelter and provide food – insects, berries etc – for newly hatched chicks.”