Taoiseach Micheál Martin wouldn't be drawn on whether an extension for the hedge cutting period will be provided when the matter was raised in the Dáil today (Wednesday, March 4).

The issue was raised by independent TD Carol Nolan, who called on the government to "intervene urgently" to provide an extension to the cutting period, which officially closed on March 1.

Nolan said: "I've received a number of calls from agri contractors and from farming families who are very concerned and because of the unprecedented rainfall, things are behind...and I think in the interest of safety, we should definitely prioritise this."

Nolan told the Taoiseach that the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors of Ireland (FCI) had called for the hedge cutting period to be reopened to March 17, a request the TD said was reasonable.

Responding to Nolan, the Taoiseach said: "I'll talk to various ministers. This happens every year, people looking for an extension of deadlines that we already put in.

"There's a reason why they're there by the way. There's two sides to the story and we need to be conscious of the other side as well," the Taoiseach added.

He did highlight the importance of safety, and said he would talk to the relevant minister "and see what the actual position is and background on it".

Speaking after her Dáil exchange with the Taoiseach, Nolan said that farm contractors "received no comfort" from his response.

"The Taoiseach's reply, which alluded to "both sides of the story" and the fact that the deadlines were in place for a reason, offers farm contractors no comfort whatsoever," she said.

"This displays a rigidity that entirely fails to grasp the seasonal and unscheduled difficulties faced by farmers and farm contractors across Ireland," the Offaly TD added.

She reiterated her support for the FCI's call for an extension, and called for "some basic cop-on in terms of responding with flexibility to what has been an exceptionally wet period of time over the last few weeks and months".

"Government must engage immediately with the FCI and grant the requested extension before the window for this vital work closes," Nolan said.