Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt's campaign for the Conservative Government to set out an ambitious target to increase the country's hedgerow network by 2050 has been a success.
The local MP supported countryside charity CPRE's 40x50 campaign which championed the idea of a 40% increase in our hedgerow network by 2050, and became one of 82 'Hedgerow Heroes' in Parliament.
The Government's Environment Improvement Plan 2023 outlines new schemes which will support 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers will adopt nature friendly farming practices on at least 10 to 15% of their land by 2030. They will also be supported to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2050.
Ben Everitt MP said: "I'm delighted the Government has listened and understood the importance of hedgerows in providing food and shelter for animals, supporting jobs and livelihoods and for combatting climate change
"I know how hard our farmers in Milton Keynes work to put food on our tables and I recently held a roundtable with the NFU and a number of other local farmers to listen to the issues affecting them."
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, commented: "Protecting our natural environment is fundamental to the health, economy and prosperity of our country.
"This plan provides the blueprint for how we will deliver our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, making sure we drive forward progress with renewed ambition and achieve our target of not just halting, but reversing the decline of nature."
