Controlled burning ‘essential’ to upland management

WORKING TOGETHER Locals had to come together to fend off a fierce gorse fires that threatened homes in SΡile in Achill earlier this month. Pic: Colm Cafferkey

Claims some gorse fires were ‘sheer vandalism’

Anton McNulty

Controlled burning of hill land is an essential part of upland management, according to a farming organisation who said farmers should not be held responsible for all fires.
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have criticised a comment made in a statement by Junior Agriculture Minister, Andrew Doyle, where he outlined how illegally burnt land must be removed for payment from the Basic Payment and other land based schemes.
The statement came in light of a number of gorse fires around the country where acres of hills and forests were burnt and property was threatened. The fires came to the fore during a period of dry weather earlier this month and on one occasion a house near Kiltimagh was destroyed by fire, while a number of houses in Achill also narrowly escaped being damaged.
INHFA spokesperson Colm O’Donnell stated that any proposal that could see farmers lose payments due to the actions of others is totally unacceptable to the INHFA.
“The Minister must clarify immediately what he means, as it is our understanding that where the applicant farmer is found at inspection to be responsible for breaching their requirements, only then can a penalty be applied. So in this instance it would have to be proven that the farmer lit the fire, ” said Mr O’Donnell, who claimed this was clarified by Dr Kevin Smyth, Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine at a Joint Oireachtas Committee hearing in April 2015.

‘Sheer vandalism’
“Dr Smyth stated how ‘no farmer who is a victim of burning with somebody else having set the fire will be penalised. I know that a number of fires had nothing to do with gorse removal. Some of them were sheer vandalism and nothing else. We will deal with such cases on the basis of force majeure. I can give the Deputy an assurance in that regard’.
“The statement made by Kevin Smyth was only two years ago and as we understand it, what he said still stands. However for the many innocent farmers who are now fearful of losing some or all of their farm payments, immediate clarity and reassurance needs to be given by Minister Doyle that only those who lit the fire have anything to fear.” Mr O’Donnell added that burning is an agricultural activity in the uplands is essential part of upland management in a similar way to reseeding or topping of green land.
He called on on both the Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to finally take action to change legal burning dates within the Heritage Bill.
“Traditionally, hill farmers burned off the mature vegetation in the month of March when conditions were favourable. No level of expertise could carry out this activity when the ground is too wet or indeed too dry as is currently the case,” said Mr O’Donnell.
“Minister Creed needs to support Minister Humphreys proposal to extend the burning dates to include the month of March. Then farmers need vital supports from the local authorities, fire service, and the NPWS to rectify this monster which has been created by bad legislation.”