The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024

The new regulations require:

• a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of a hedgerow, where a green cover must be established and maintained

• no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers within the 2-metre buffer strip

• a hedgerow cutting and trimming ban from 1 March to 31 August (inclusive)

The cutting and trimming ban will start immediately. This is to protect nesting birds up to the end of August 2024.

The buffer strip rules will begin:

• from 1 July 2024 for land not currently being used for crop production

• from the first harvest after 1 July 2024 for land which is currently being used for crops.

You can find guidance on these rules and exemptions in the buffer strip guidance and the cutting and trimming guidance on GOV.UK