Welsh environment minister John Griffiths has urged farmers in Wales to do all their burning before the season ends later this month. The minister urged farmers to ensure their scrub burning was conducted safely.

Mr Griffiths reminded farmers that in Wales burning can legally only take place between 1st October and 31st March in upland areas, and between 1st November and 15th March elsewhere. The environment minister reminder comes after 2010-2011 saw the highest rate of grassland fires in Britain occurring in Wales.

He said, “Whilst heather and grass burning is a traditional land management tool in Wales, it can of course be dangerous and cause damage to Welsh wildlife and our environment.

“I would urge farmers to act responsibly and ensure that they do not burn out of season. I would also remind them to ensure they have a written burning plan in place, to inform local fire and rescue services before starting the burn, to ensure the weather conditions are right, and to ensure they have enough people on hand to control the fire.

“By heeding this advice we can ensure that agricultural burnings are as safe as possible, causing minimum damage to Wales’ beautiful landscape and wildlife."

Farmers can access more information about safe burning on the Welsh Government website.

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