Irish Examiner View: Burning question must be resolved

The springtime gorse fire season is upon us though it might not be unduly sceptical to say that the gorse burning season is upon us.

Each and every year, gorse fires are set, despite this practice being hugely destructive to wildlife, especially nesting birds.

That the practice is illegal is seen as no more than an inconvenient complication by those who set the fires.

This week, senior fire officers in Cork appealed to those responsible to desist after firefighters were called to two outbreaks in West Cork.

Their colleagues in Kerry would echo those remarks as out-of-control fires in Killarney National Park have, in recent years, threatened homes.

The Wildlife Act precludes burning, for any reason, vegetation between March 1 and August 31.

However, three years ago, forest fires in April and May destroyed hundreds of hectares of commercial forestry.

West Cork was badly hit, with one inferno near Gougane Barra devastating a significant area.

The multi-million cost of bringing these illegal fires under control is borne by the public purse, while many commercial forests are destroyed, exacerbating the losses.

Yet prosecutions are as infrequent as sanctions are ineffective.

The public, who fund farming through one subsidy or another, are entitled to expect better behaviour and because the problem persists, insist on more forceful, effective policing.