This is a guest blog written by conservation campaigner and author Bob Berzins who has written previously on this blog here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Introduction
In 2026 a dry, hot summer with drought conditions declared in many areas led to a huge number of wildfires. It was no surprise to read a constant diatribe from the shooting industry calling for increased prescribed burning with restrictions removed.
Arguments against grouse moor burning have centred around damage to peatlands, particularly damage to blanket bog which tends to be defined by peat depth with figures of 50cm, 40cm and most recently 30cm defined in the Heather and Grass Burning Management Code 2025 Section 4 – The Law. So generally any burning in England where peat depth is greater than 30cm is illegal.
Greenwashing from the shooting industry tries to tell us they only ever conduct “Cool Burns” with no smoke and moss layers under the heather undamaged and somehow only burning the top leafy part of heather plants. They’ve fooled Natural England because most Management Plans, in place to protect conservation sites, tell us they won’t allow “Hot burns” which incinerate the vegetation and the underlying peat. But there’s no enforcement and we the public are left to cope with huge clouds of smoke and incinerated, damaged moorlands which increase flood risk.
This deceit has been going on for decades and it took catastrophic levels of air pollution in Sheffield three years ago to make everybody listen. The burning occurred on the Duke of Rutland’s Moscar Estate.
After the 2025 burning consultation and new legislation what’s happening now?
Sheffield University produced a detailed analysis of how the smoke from October 2023 burning spread across the city with citizen science and government air monitors all recording huge spikes in dangerous air pollution.
Travel any distance in the Pennines on a fine winter day and you’ll see multiple fires on the moors. Last week a mile from the Moscar burning we had this on the adjacent Fitzwilliam Estate:
Spilling smoke over the plantation and down to Bradfield village and Sheffield beyond:
Leeds University recently published this paper that shows peak fire events affecting up to 2.3 million people in Yorkshire, North East England, East Scotland and North Scotland. And between 2017/18 and 2021/22 moorland burning generated 1300 tonnes of PM2.5 particulates per year which is equivalent to a third of UK annual transport emissions. Pollution from prescribed or rotational burning is a huge problem yet the shooting industry wants to burn more.
Is smoke from Moorland Burning dangerous?
According to the Breath of Fresh Air Report by the Royal College of Physicians, air pollution affects all age groups leading to slow development of lung function in the young and accelerated decline of lung function in the old as well as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), lung cancer, diabetes, dementia, heart attack and stroke – every part of the body is affected.
And DEFRA’s Public Health Overview tells us poor air quality is a significant public health issue with air pollution estimated to cause 29,000 to 43,000 deaths a year in the UK – that is 5% to 7% of all deaths.
In England, the total cost due to PM2.5 to the NHS and social care is estimated to be £1.5billion in 2025.
What’s the mechanism for particulates affecting our health?
PM2.5 is tiny and this allows it to bypass upper airway filters, deposit deep into the lung alveoli, and cross into the bloodstream reaching the heart, brain, and other major organs where it causes chronic inflammation. The particles are not just harmless dust but often contain toxins such as carcinogens and heavy metals raising the risk of heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeats, and high blood pressure. Along with triggering or worsening asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and reducing overall lung function.
What is a safe level of air pollution?
At a recent conference organized by Public Health Sheffield we heard there is no safe level of air pollution so we must strive to reduce it as close to zero as possible. Shooting is a hobby for rich people not a necessity. Moors are burnt to produce more grouse and landowners must have convinced their gamekeepers that a dose of particulates is good for the health:
Alternatives
There is of course mowing, which is now common on Peak District moors and very obviously reduces “fuel load” with many mowers cutting then shredding the brash. We don’t hear anything about this from the Greenwashers. So we continue to see mown and burnt patches side by side:
Conclusion
Air pollution kills us and there is absolutely no justification for the grouse shooting industry producing thousands of tonnes of harmful particulates just so there’s a few more grouse to shoot.
ENDS
