Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on the circumstances in which heather burning can be used to manage (a) moorland and (b) peatland.

Defra and Natural England are currently consulting with stakeholders to develop a refreshed Heather and Grass Management Code to replace the Heather and Grass Burning Code, published in 2007. The code will detail good practice on planning where to burn and how to burn safely and responsibly. This is in addition to detailed guidance published to support The Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021.