Heritage minister to raise fines for setting forest fires

A report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) shows 99 separate fires were recorded in Ireland last year, compared to 10 in 2024. Picture: iStock

The Government is to hike fines for deliberately setting forest fires, because the current maximum of €5,000 is “not a deterrent” to prevent them.

Heritage minister Christopher O’Sullivan told the Irish Examiner that he hopes to publish legislation before the end of the year that bump up those fines considerably, but he refused to be drawn on the amount that would be chosen.

“The best way I would describe it is that it would be a significant increase,” he said. “A lot of hard work is going on at the minute and a lot of engagement with stakeholders. It’s fair to say a €5,000 maximum fine is not enough."

Last week, an illegal wildfire destroyed 66ha of land within the Wicklow Mountains National Park, an area equivalent to more than 50 times the size of Croke Park.

A garda investigation is now under way into the incident.

Mr O’Sullivan said the maximum fine “isn’t enough of a deterrent” to stop such fires being started.

“That is why we are reviewing the Wildlife Act to ensure that we increase that. But what we have seen and what we have done and, in fairness to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, they have seriously ramped up their capacity when it comes to deterring this type of illegal activity.” 

He said helicopters are deployed throughout the year to ensure fires aren’t lit, and he liaises with the Department of Agriculture to ensure penalties are enforced.

Drone technology

Recent European data suggests there was a significant increase in the number of wildfires and burnt areas of land in Ireland last year.

A report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) shows 99 separate fires were recorded in Ireland last year, compared to 10 in 2024.

As part of efforts to combat such fires, Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service this year expanded the use of drone technology to support faster fire detection and emergency response as the season got under way.

“Every year, we see the severe impact that man-made forest fires can have on forests, wildlife, and local communities,” Pat Neville, the communications manager with Coillte, said.

“In Ireland, these fires almost never start naturally; they come from simple actions like lighting barbeques, campfires, or burning of agricultural lands and vegetation that quickly gets out of control."