It is not just illegal to burn land at this time of the year, it is also totally irresponsible.

I want to make that point strongly in the wake of the recent fires which raged on some of our uplands. The fires polluted the air, risked lives, placed undue pressure on our emergency services, and they were devastating for flora and fauna of all kinds.

Consequences if farmers burn land

I first wrote about this issue in Agriland in 2017. Doing so again highlights to me the extent to which such fires now appear to be an annual occurrence.

But the fact that they are distressingly commonplace does not mean we should accept them as in any way inevitable.

The devastation wrought on animals such as amphibians, reptiles and ground-nesting birds will have been immense. They will take a long time to recover.

And, I was particularly concerned at the damage inflicted on at least one hen harrier nesting site, as well as the destruction of grounds on which they hunt.

That destruction will have been heartbreaking for the farmers who are involved in the Hen Harrier Project. This project, supported by my department, supports the beautiful ground-nesting bird of prey, which is a protected species in Ireland.

There have been many positive outcomes from the project and the initiative, which rewards farmers for their efforts in relation to land management and preservation practices, which appear to be halting the decline.

‘I want to see farmers hostile to fires’

Indeed, last year, the Hen Harrier Programme reported its most successful breeding season in 14 years, with a 34% increase in hatchings since 2017. Farmers achieving these good results were rewarded to the tune of nearly half a million euro just last week.

This is the sort of work farmers should be doing in our upland areas, and it’s the sort of work I believe they want to do. I believe the vast majority of farmers want to protect biodiversity, to work with nature, and to do the right thing for climate.

Well, it’s time for them to say that.

I want to see a situation where farmers, as a group, are so openly and vociferously hostile to fires such as these, that it would be outlandish for anyone even to suggest that one of their number might be responsible.

I want farmers to engage seriously with the idea that even outside the months when fires are prohibited, their use as a method of land management needs to be looked at.

And, if despite such actions, fires should occur, I want farmers in their aftermath to take steps such as repairing fences, introducing light summer grazing of purple moor grass and, if appropriate, raising water levels through drain-blocking, in order to limit the chance of a recurrence.

On-farm biodiversity

My department supports on-farm biodiversity. In the last budget, we provided €10 million for measures, including for on-farm biodiversity studies and biodiversity training for farmers.

I want to see farmers engage with that training and find new ways of managing their lands so that they have no fear of being pushed off them, and we have no worries about land being abandoned.

Some advocate simple rewilding of our uplands. I’m not sure, because ground-nesting birds like the hen harrier need open moorlands and marginal grasslands, which require some “management”.

Another proposal is that farmers manage these lands first and foremost for nature, as opposed to for produce.

Let’s think big

Maybe that perspective could lead us to an answer. After all, if nature and biodiversity were put at the heart of what farmers do, something really special might be unlocked.

This new approach could still deliver produce. ‘Connemara Lamb’ is just one example of what can emerge.

But we could surely build on this and go more broadly, perhaps then seeing “Natura Lamb” and even “Biodiversity Beef” coming into play, delivering the value-add farmers seek, and consumers crave.

So let’s think big. Let’s prevent more fires but even more importantly, let’s protect the vast majority of our upland farmers who care about the land, care about nature, and want to deliver for us all.

Totally irresponsible to burn land at this time of year