"The seasonal unruliness of hedges became a national issue this spring, as changes to the Wildlife Act proposed an extra month of license to cut or grub out hedgerows, beginning in August instead of September, along with freedom to burn upland grazing in March, a month earlier in spring. A first debate took place in the Senate, Ireland’s upper house of parliament, while environmental activists, including beekeepers and hedgelayers, hoisted placards at its gates."