'Palpable sense of frustration' over wildfire double standards claim
There is a “palpable sense of frustration” among farmers and game-keepers who feel powerless in moorland management, says the chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, currently conducting a major inquiry into the growing threat of wildfires in the UK.
Alistair Carmichael was speaking at the opening day of the Great Yorkshire Show where he said it is “not acceptable” for the government to expect farmers and gamekeepers to act as first responders and firefighters whilst dismissing their concerns about how they are allowed to manage the swathes of moorland across the region and country.
Mr Carmichael, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland and chairman of the House of Commons committee, is one of the longest serving MPs in Parliament.
During his address at the CLA President’s Breakfast, he called for a new approach to tackling climate change in the country - and it should start with wildfires.
“The climate is changing at pace and ferocity”, he said. “As extreme weather becomes the norm, we need to tackle it in the medium to long-term and mitigate the impact in the short-term. And we need to have an honest conversation about how to approach this.”
The government has not been effective in tackling climate change, he said, because there had been a tendency to tell people what to do rather than give them a say.
Mr Carmichael said there had been a “phenomenal” response to the Call for Evidence, launched in April, on how wildfire risks are mitigated through management of land and monitoring.
Seventy per cent of private responses were from farmers, shepherds and gamekeepers.
He said: “Two things shone through. One, the impact on people living in areas where they have had or are likely to have wildfire. Two, and most worryingly, there was a palpable sense of frustration they were powerless to make a difference in moorland management. In particular, government agendas to exclude managed burning from their tool kit.
“When people with decades of experience in land management and fire-fighting are left feeling excluded and unheard - then we have a problem.”
At yesterday morning’s meeting, he questioned Natural England’s refusal to publish data and details of its review of managed burning and said it undermines confidence in their regulations.
He added that expecting farmers and gamekeepers to act as fire-fighters but to dismiss their concerns was “not how government is supposed to work”.
“Change should not be difficult, we should want to do it. Continuing to not take people along with you, will make tackling the climate crisis more difficult. Shifting the dial on how we deal with wildfires can be a good place to start with that process.”
Victoria Atkins, MP for Louth and Horncastle and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, spoke to The Yorkshire Post while visiting the show and said she was “concerned about heavy-handed attempts of ministers, who haven't lived in the countryside or don't understand it dictating how we should run our affairs”.
“I do not understand their heather burning decision last year is helping the greater efforts to protect our moorland”, she said.
Ms Atkins also said with many wildfires being sparked by irresponsible smokers or instant barbecues, the public had a responsibility to help avert wildfires.
She said this summer had underlined how climate change was affecting everyone and there were measures to respond to it that the country as well as individuals would have to take in the coming years.
She added: “I'm also very struck that when wildfire takes hold, as indeed happened not so far from here last year, it was the whole community coming together, rather than just the fire services. Community spirit is not to be underestimated.”