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No financial penalty for landowners assisting utilities’ vegetation management requirements

It’s a mistaken belief that landowners might endanger their Single Farm Payment when allowing access to their land by vegetation management contractors carrying out maintenance to the utility networks.

Indeed, whatever the season, statutory undertakers have a legal obligation to carry out vegetation management works, such as cutting and pruning trees and hedgerows, to keep electricity wires free from obstruction and possible interference. As a result utilities’ workers and surveyors need to access the electricity network across the UK including on private land.

Though a Single Farm Payment can be endangered through non-compliance with established guidelines – looking after the land in a certain way, preserving hedges, trees, wildlife - such work by utilities’ workers and surveyors is normally treated as ‘being beyond the farmer’s control’.

Defra document PB10763, FAQ111 states that farmers and landowners should make every effort to discuss with the Network Operator the work to be done and minimise damage as a result of the work. Never the less, they will not be held responsible for any damage and thus are not considered to be ‘non-compliant’.

So, next time you come in from a hard day’s harvesting and can’t wait for that hot bath, remember the people who keep the utilities’ networks running!

Press for further information contact:
Ruth Roy, Head of Marketing, 01892 861008/07771 940494, ruth.roy@upm-kymmene.com

UPM Tilhill Marketing. September 2007