Opinion: Wildfires should be a wake up call - let gamekeepers do their jobs
Livestock specialist Katie Fallon talks of recent wildfires and regulations
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with reports of wildfires across Europe and at home in the UK.
Major incidents have been declared in Wales and in the Cairngorms as wildfires continue to burn. Not to mention the other blazes being tackled elsewhere across the country.
Just this weekend, a grouse moor in North Yorkshire caught alight, after a car was deliberately set on fire.
READ NOW: Calls to cut wildfire red tape as farmers warn uplands are becoming tinderboxes
This quite frankly, is reckless behaviour.
If it was not for the quick action of the local gamekeepers, we could have had yet another major incident on our hands.
But despite the thoughtless actions of some, could many of these wildfires potentially have been avoided if people were allowed to carry on doing the job they have done for years?
READ NOW: Cow-sharing scheme helps fight wildfires on Gower Commons
As a gamekeepers daughter, maybe I am biased. But the amount of red tape and regulation that has been put in place over the last few years to limit heather burning and heather management, has no doubt contributed to the situation.
Had gamekeepers and custodians of the land been allowed to do their jobs and actually manage the land as they have for generations, perhaps we would not find ourselves declaring these major incidents.
READ NOW: Opinion: Wildfires - a growing threat Government can no longer ignore
But instead, we are left with large areas of moorland with minimal fire breaks due to red tape and jumping through environmental hoops.
This should be a wake-up call to the powers that be. These people have managed, protected and cared for these moorlands long before many of these schemes and rules were dreamt up.
So please, just let them get on with their jobs. Let them manage and protect these habitats. As they have always done.
Read the original article on Farmers Guardian