Support for peatlands proposals

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is supportive of Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots’ comments that were made during the Northern Ireland (NI) Assembly on 10 May, on protecting peatlands and woodlands following the recent wildfires on the Mourne Mountains.

The Minister stated that managing livestock on hill areas is a much better approach than rewilding and properly controlled management can make a significant difference including controlled burning where appropriate. He also went on to highlight that suitable fire breaks are necessary.

UFU hill farming chair Nigel McLaughlin said: “We fully support the Minister’s comments as to how we can protect our peatlands and woodland areas going forward. In particular, we agree that managing livestock on hill areas is the best thing to do, it is much more suitable than rewilding. From our visit to the Mourne Mountains last month, the growth of the heather was very concerning.

“It was extremely long and thick, and grass and bracken are very easy to burn which would be the equivalent of adding fuel to the fire. It reinforces the importance of managing hills with livestock and having appropriate fire breaks.

“Our farmers are keen to get involved in working together to safeguard our upland areas, but it’s vital that they’re treated equally in the discussions and the creation of the action plan. When it comes to protecting hill ground, farmers have the most to offer and yet they have continuously been left out of these conversations so far.

“The UFU will be engaging with DAERA on the new proposed peatland policy. We’re looking forward to getting things moving and will ensure that the expertise of our farmers is recognised and that it does not become a burden on their deeds.”

Meanwhile, following Tuesday’s motion on the ‘Protection of Peatlands and Woodlands’ in the Northern Ireland Assembly, RSPB NI have welcomed the support of MLAs for further action.

Dr Jonathan Bell, RSPB NI’s Head of Land and Sea Policy commented: “It is clear that Northern Ireland is not doing enough to protect our precious peatlands, which play a critical role in mitigating the nature and climate emergency.

“As was mentioned in the debate, it is vitally important that a peatland strategy is brought forward by the DAERA Minister as soon as possible. This will enable government departments and stakeholders to work together in restoring peatlands for the benefit of nature and people.

“We are also supportive of a ban on burning on peatland in Northern Ireland. The Climate Change Committee has recommended that this practice should be brought to an end as early as possible. A statutory ban has been brought forward in England to the start of 2021 and will be brought forward in Scotland. It is time that we started managing our peatlands to ensure they are an ally in tackling the nature and climate emergency.”