By Lisa Ramsden
The Ulster Farmers’ Union has said that farming has a critical role to play in preventing wildfires. The representative body for the farming sector was commenting in the aftermath of the recent blazes that destroyed many hundreds of acres of land in the Mournes.
UFU deputy president John McLeneghan said the organisation “has continuously raised concern about restricted grazing and how it increases the risk of wildfires and their severity.” He added that livestock such as cattle and sheep help to manage the land by trampling and eating the vegetation and heather in upland areas, which “can quickly become fuel for fires.”
John McLeneghan said this “natural process creates gaps in vegetation, slows the spread of flames and can stop fires from starting in the first place.” He added that the benefits of livestock grazing are recognised in places like Spain and Portugal, where, the UFU official explained, farmers are supported to graze their livestock “in fire-prone areas.”
He said: “Some of NI’s most prized landscapes have been left severely damaged after the wildfires. The UFU has continuously raised concern about restricted grazing and how it increases the risk of wildfires and their severity.”
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