A wider ban on heather burning on England's moorlands would put lives at risk from catastrophic wildfires, landowners in the region have warned.
Plans announced this week by Defra would extend a ban introduced in 2021 to a further 146,000 hectares of deep peat uplands including large swathes of moorland in the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the Peak District.
Under the proposal, the definition of ‘deep peat’ would be revised to include peat over 30cms deep rather than the previous measure of 40cms.
The designated area for the ban would also be widened to include land designated as ‘less favourable’.
Any burning would need to be done under strict license where there is a clear need such as reducing wildfire risk.
Defra, which says it has the support of Natural England (NE) for the extended ban, said the move would improve air quality in villages, help the country reach net zero by 2050 and expand wildlife-rich habitats.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:
“Our peatlands are this country’s Amazon Rainforest – home to our most precious wildlife, storing carbon and reducing flooding risk.
“The UK has 13% of the world’s blanket bog.
"A rare global habitat, it is a precious part of our national heritage, and that is why we‘re announcing a consultation on these measures to ensure deep peat is better protected.
“These changes will benefit communities by improving air and water quality, and protect homes and businesses from flood damage, which supports economic stability and security under our plan for change.”
Heather is often burned on moorland used by grouse shoots as it allows more nutritious shoots to grow that are favoured by the birds and other wildlife.
But rural landowners say the practice is also vital to prevent wildfires by controlling the fuel load.
Darren Chadwick, from the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group, which represents rural estates in the area, said Defra and Natural England had both conceded that the science behind the ban was contentious and included a lack of research in relation to wildfires.
He added:
“For this reason we cannot understand why any government agency would make potentially catastrophic proposals in the absence of comprehensive and definitive research.
“Until all-encompassing studies are carried out into the effects of cool burning the group is of the opinion that these proposals are motivated by political influences and not science.
“Without thorough long-term research and a conclusive understanding of moorland management being in place, we think this is just a case of Defra and NE being puppeted by the government to meet questionable targets on carbon emissions.”
The Moorland Association chief executive Andrew Gilruth said a huge fire on Saddleworth Moor in 2018 occurred on an area where preventative burns had effectively been banned.
He added:
“The fire service report into Saddleworth Moor showed that fires of this nature stop when they want to stop.
"It basically stopped when the weather changed and it started to rain.
“Our concern is that government policy will only change when someone is killed.”
Mr Gilruth said that although licences to burn heather could be applied for in theory, very few were granted and land managers were no longer trying.
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