For those of you following the muirburn licensing fiasco in Scotland, where the Scottish Government has announced its decision to delay the implementation of licences for a second time after aggressive lobbying by the grouse shooting industry, Nick Kempe’s most recent parkswatchscotland blog will be on interest.
Nick explores the known facts about the recent out-of-control muirburn on a grouse moor in Aberdeenshire that turned in to a wildfire that burned 5 hectares of the neighbouring Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve:
‘These facts clearly contradict Mr Fairlie’s claim that the delay in introducing the muirburn licensing scheme will “provide us with the time and opportunity to carefully consider the upcoming changes to muirburn and how these changes can be brought forward in a way which does not adversely affect our ability to prevent and respond to wildfires.”
The problem, which the Scottish Government is willfully ignoring, is that muirburn is responsible for a large number of wildfires and adds significantly to the demands being made on the Scotland’s Fire and Rescue Service who have suffered cut after cut in funding’.
With his usual thoughtful and evidence-based approach, Nick goes on to explore the wider politics associated with muirburn licensing. His parkswatchscotland blog can be found here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Over the years in England I have seen wildfires and/or seen the results of wildfires on 8 occasions, 3 have been fires set by farmers that have got out of hand 2 in a big way, one was set deliberately by vandals and 6 by keepers rotational burning that “escaped” or relit after they had left. At least two of the keeper caused fires were blamed in the press on walkers by the estates concerned, perhaps that is what they told their bosses, one of these involved 17 fire appliances over 2 days.
They are above the law because it’s massive areas and can blame others because their bosses will lie for them it’s the same old same old getting away with murder. At the cost of the taxpayer footing the bill for the fire service all good NOT.