Calls for year-round ban on burning gorse in Kerry

It comes after a blanket of smoke covered Dingle town in the lead-up to Christmas

Figures from Kerry County Council covering January to September show a 46% drop this year in call-outs to out-of-control wildfires labelled “gorse”. File picture

Uncontrolled wildfires in Kerry halved in 2022, compared to the same period last year, with a dramatic drop in illegal burning during March to September, when burning of commonage is banned under the Wildlife Acts.

However, a blanket of smoke which covered Dingle town before Christmas is leading to calls for a year-round ban on the practice of burning scrub.