A junior minister has told the Seanad that he has no plans to propose a change to the statutory burning dates for vegetation.
Senator Garret Ahearn outlined that the restrictions under the Wildlife Act 1976 on burning are not flexible enough.
“The current window for burning – September 1 to February 28 – is unduly restrictive, particularly when compared with our EU neighbours, whose windows extend to April 15,” the Fine Gael senator outlined.
The Tipperary representative explained that the Ardfinnan-Ballybacon-Grange-Newcastle (ABGN) Gun Club on the Knockmealdown Mountains had recently raised concerns with him about the ability to burn heather.
“The club’s red grouse conservation project is considered vital work by the club’s members, of whom there are nearly 100. Since its inception in 2004, red grouse numbers have increased by more than 30%,” the senator said.
“The preferred method of clearing old heather for new is that of controlled burning, an activity in which ABGN Gun Club has invested, for more than 18 years, a huge amount of its time and resources with great success,” he continued.
“Since 2014, the club has not been able to undertake a burn due to the weather at weekends, the time at which members are mostly available to do this work because it is voluntary.”
The senator suggested that extending the burning window or the ability to apply for a derogation would help the voluntary conservation work being done by the group.
Burning
In response, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan acknowledged the role played by gun clubs in conservation, particularly of the red grouse.
“On the issue of burning living vegetation, while I am aware of the arguments for and against a change of dates, I have no plans at present to propose any change to the statutory dates,” the minister said.
“I recommend that all stakeholders involved should establish a forum, which I mentioned previously. It might be for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to lead on.
“It is important that stakeholders, such as those involved in hunting; landowners; upland-hill farmers; and fire services come together in a forum where these matters could be teased out further,” the minister continued.
“It is critically important that we have a broader conversation. I do see a conservation role here, but I encourage the setting up of an initiative that would bring stakeholders together under some kind of a taskforce that could look at upland burning and its role in the management of our hills and uplands,” Noonan concluded.