hedgerow

Now it is set to be replaced by "a tree planting and hedgerow creation plan", which farmers would need to start to make progress on with a view to delivering this by 2030.

Robot dogs could also be used to examine hard-to-reach places such as hills and hedgerows, he added.

"Bushes are burning, grass is burning, hedgerows are burning, agricultural fields are burning and structures are burning," he said.

There is little diversity on the majority of the 146-acre land, with nearly all fields grazed by sheep, but there are some wetter areas and some hedgerows of blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, oak, gorse and holly.

The shrub, which has been politely described as humble or nondescript, is best located behind borders or woven into a mixed hedgerow.