Illegal gorse fires still burning issue

IN spite of a promise of long-awaited action by state agencies and farming organisations against illegal burning on mountains and upland areas, such burning is continuing unabated.

Fire services in western counties, including Cork and Kerry, have been called to gorse fires, usually started by farmers seeking to burn off old vegetation. Worryingly, fire officers believe up to a quarter of these fires are set by arsonists.

BirdWatch Ireland is “delighted” that from this year there will be a greater focus by the authorities on illegal burning, something also being welcomed by other wildlife organisations. Alan Lauder, BirdWatch Ireland’s chief executive, says in spring the scourge of scrub burning on Irish farmland spells disaster for vulnerable nesting birds and wildlife. “Thousands of chicks are burnt in their nests, and those birds that manage to escape the flames are still faced with a lack of both the food and the shelter that they need to survive,” he says.