Peatlands: Controlled Burning
(asked on 28th January 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to enforce the ban on peat burning in England.
Answered by
Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra takes any allegations of breaches of The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 seriously and has developed a robust triage and assessment process with the support of Natural England and Defra’s Counter Fraud and Investigations (CFI).
Natural England's Moorland Change Map demonstrates a significant reduction in burning and cutting activities on England's moorlands since the implementation of the Regulations.
Though there have been isolated instances of non-compliance, resulting in two successful prosecutions, the overwhelming majority of landowners in England are adhering to these regulations.