Mourne Fire Prevention Plan must be priority for DAERA – Hazzard
7 April 2025
Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard MP has called on the Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir to urgently prioritise the long overdue delivery of a Mourne Fire Prevention Plan, as fires have once again engulfed large swathes of the Mournes in recent days.
The South Down MP was speaking following confirmation from Minister Muir on Monday (on BBC Radio Ulster) that his department have failed to deliver upon a public commitment made to the wider Mourne community following the 2021 fires that a fire prevention management plan would be delivered.
Speaking from the Mournes, Chris Hazzard said:
“Four years on from the devastating fires in 2021 we are facing widespread environmental devastation in the Mournes yet again as a result of fire. Whilst the persons who set the fires bear ultimate responsibility for the damage caused, there is no doubt that the failure to establish a Fire Prevention Management Plan for the Mournes is a significant failing that needs urgently addressed.
“Moreover this plan must be appropriately resourced, and published in partnership with the local community – including those agencies such as the Mourne Heritage Trust, whose staff and volunteers are increasingly stretched beyond breaking point as the Mournes continues to bear the brunt of climate change, natural disaster, and rising visitor numbers.
“The minister’s public position this morning – where he placed responsibility for the delay on the shoulders of his department’s officials – simply won’t cut it. The Mournes urgently need a minister showing leadership and a determination to work with Executive colleagues in order to secure the necessary resources, and finally deliver upon the commitments made to the people of South Down.
Chris Hazzard added:
“I have also asked the DAERA minister to launch an immediate review of the proscribed ‘burn period’ in which landowners are legally allowed to use controlled burning to manage the countryside.
“It is clear that a review is urgently required, not merely to explore a more appropriate timeframe, but perhaps more importantly the effectiveness of the accompanying regulations and safeguards that are supposed to protect vulnerable habitats from the type of environmental devastation we have witnessed in recent days.”
