The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU is calling for urgent action and improved support for farmers to help manage hill ground as concerns grow about increasing wildfire risks, habitat loss and “overly prescriptive environmental regulations that ignore the generational knowledge of local land managers”.
The UFU has highlighted the devastation felt by farmers and rural communities as a consequence of the recent spate of wildfires across Northern Ireland, and has called for government to recognise the increased fire risk created by designated sites.
It also wants to see the reactivation of the Northern Ireland Wildfire Stakeholder Forum, which has not met in recent years.
The UFU submitted a response to DAERA’s Wildfires in NI, Draft Strategic Way Forward consultation in June 2023. Although an action plan was expected, no implementation has followed.
In the past week (April 3 – April 10), Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) has fielded 2,014 emergency calls and attended 1,112 incidents, 296 of which it described as wildfire related.
Of the 259 calls received by its regional control room yesterday (Thursday, April 10) alone, 53 of the 149 mobilised calls by the service involved wildfires, a large number of which were on gorse terrain, NIFRS outlined in a statement released earlier today (Friday, April 11).
Devastating
UFU deputy president, John McLenaghan said: “It’s devastating to see so many areas being impacted by wildfires in recent days, including the Mourne Mountains, the northwest, and County Antrim.
“Habitats have been completely destroyed and the damage will be felt for years to come. What needs to be recognised is that the areas affected are mainly designated sites that restrict farmers’ from managing the land well.
“Farmers cannot carry out controlled burning, and there are tight controls on grazing and land management. Heather and scrub are left to grow wild with limited management to control them, and as a result, the land is in ideal condition for wildfires.
“The restrictions placed on farmers in terms of designated sites are quite literally adding fuel to the fire.”
According to the UFU, approximately 10% of land in NI is designated, which implies strict conditions on how farmers can manage it.
Designated sites
Last week, the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) published a report which included the recommendation that Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) increase the amount of designated land in NI.
The UFU deputy president vehemently opposed such a recommendation, citing the increased risk of fire associated with designated land, resulting from the strict laws in place which inhibit agricultural-based maintenance.
He explained how farmers are best placed to curb this fire risk due to their specialised knowledge and expertise of the area.
“Considering how designated sites increase fire risks in upland areas during periods of dry weather, having more designated sites would put further natural habitats in danger and threaten farmers’ livelihoods who depend on the land to make a living,” McLenaghan said.
“Farmers need to be able to manage the land through a combination of grazing livestock, topping and controlled burning. This reduces the fire load and helps to decrease the risk of wildfires.
“Hill farmers have the knowledge and expertise to manage this complex landscape, which is crucial to reducing the risk of wildfires. An extreme wildfire is not in the best interest of the farmer, the environment or the community.
“There is also the potential danger to human life. NI firefighters have to tackle these blazes and hikers and tourists could be in the area. If a wildfire grew strong enough with the right conditions, it could also travel towards rural properties,” the UFU deputy president added.
Recent reports have suggested that some of the recent wildfires had been caused by arson, a development that McLenaghan strongly condemned, highlighting the concerns raised by members in relation to the potential heightened risk of livestock loss should the arson persist.
