Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has issued a warning to landowners and members of the public of potential imprisonment for burning land during the closed season.

If you burn land between 1 March and 31 August, the Minister has said you risk prosecution, fines and potential imprisonment.

Particularly for landowners, he added that such land will no longer be eligible for payment under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and other area-based schemes.

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Also, illegal burning can also render neighbouring land ineligible for payment.

Furthermore, if land is burned in an uncontrolled manner between 1 September and 28 February, the Department will also consider the lands ineligible for payment, he said.

“In recent days, we have witnessed uncontrolled burning events in various parts of the country, which not only puts lives and property at risk, but also has a massive environmental impact and it damages the lands due to the uncontrolled nature of these fires,” the Minister said.

Direct risk

Late-spring wildfires can put homes and livelihoods at direct risk and cause considerable disruption to rural communities, wildlife and habitats, he said.

“There is a very firm link in recent years between wildfire ignitions and illegal dumping and burning of domestic waste in many areas, and malicious burning at forest amenity sites and turf bogs open to the public,” he said.

The farming community, he said, has a central role to play in the control of fire in our landscapes through the management of land.

“Reduction and maintenance of high-risk vegetation (such purple moor grass, heather, and gorse/whin) in high fire risk areas is critical to managing this risk. We are asking for the co-operation of all countryside users in the prevention of wildfires and to join in the protection of these lands over the coming months,” he said.

The Minister has urged all countryside users to be vigilant, to report any suspicious activity to An Garda Síochána and to report any uncontrolled or unattended fires immediately to the fire and emergency services via 112 or 999.

Bushes derogation

The Minister also reminded farmers and landowners of the derogation secured for the burning of agricultural green waste, which will reopen for a final three-month period from 1 September 2023 to 30 November 2023.

This agricultural green waste includes untreated or uncontaminated hedgerow trimmings, leaves, bushes or similar materials generated by agricultural practices.