Hedge at centre of Limerick farmer dispute cut in mysterious circumstances

THE TALE of a farmer spilling his dairy herd’s milk into a slurry tank in a dispute over a hedge has taken another twist.

Robert Hickey, of Carrigmartin, Ballyneety, returned home just after 6pm on Tuesday of last week to find the overgrown hedge had been cut in his absence. “I was shocked,” said Mr Hickey, whose initial thought was it was the council’s doing. A response to a Leader query reads: “No instruction was given by the Limerick City and County Council Metropolitan Roads team to complete hedge cutting on this road.”

This all dates back to August 2021 when Mr Hickey received a note from a lorry driver for his milk processor. It read, “Last collection ‘til bushes cut back” on the way into the farm.

Mr Hickey, aged in his early 50s, had received previous warnings that his milk collection would stop unless the ditch was trimmed.

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Mr Hickey had written to the council in March 2021, to inform them of the “excessive overgrowth and encroachment of the roadside hedge along the public road leading to my property”.

“I request that Limerick County Council immediately cut back and trim this roadside hedge to allow the dairy truck to be able to access my farmyard and collect the milk,” wrote Mr Hickey.

Following a Leader query, a council spokesperson said cutting of hedgerow is the “responsibility of the landowner”.

Mr Hickey says this “contradicts” what a council employee said in a court case where he was prosecuted. During the hearing in 2018, the council employee said they take the view that it is responsible for the “surface and margin” of all public roads “in as far as the roadside ditch”. 

Mr Hickey’s position is that the hedge “is in the charge of the council as was stated in court”.

So ever since August 2021, Mr Hickey has been spilling the milk of his 21 cows into a slurry pit. He says the total cost currently is €110,000. Mr Hickey said there was no delight when he saw the hedge was cut.

“I got no correspondence from anyone that the hedge was being cut back. I am disappointed because there is over €110,000 worth of milk gone into a slurry tank and it is no fault of my own. Who is going to compensate me for the loss of that?” he asks.

Mr Hickey said the whole saga has put him under a lot of stress both mentally and financially. He spent a week in hospital due to a medical issue in June. During that time two dairy farmers milked his cows while a friend looked after his beef cattle.

A decision will be made next year on supplying his milk again as he is currently drying off his cows due to the slurry spreading deadline. Mystery surrounds who arranged for the hedge to be cut.