Movement on the Burning Date Now Long Overdue

IFA Hill Committee Chairman, Pat Dunne has called on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys to make the necessary changes to burning dates for gorse.

Pat Dunne said that the Public Consultation on amendment to Section 40 of the Wildlife Act closed in early January. Five months later there has been no movement by the Minister on the issue, despite the overwhelming evidence that the current window for burning is too narrow.

The IFA Hill leader said the closed date needs to change from the end of February to the middle of April. This is in line with similar practices in Northern Ireland and Britain. In addition, with commonage plans being drawn up under the GLAS scheme managed burning can be an integral part of this plan with increased timeframe.

Pat Dunne said that IFA will be meeting Minister Humphreys on this urgent issue in the coming weeks and will be pressing for an early announcement.