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Open Revoke the 2021 and 2025 heather burning regulations to allow controlled burns

Created by Robert Howard
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We call on the Government to revoke the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, as amended in 2025, so land managers can carry out controlled burns to reduce fuel loads and protect peat soils, habitats, wildlife, people and infrastructure from increasingly devastating wildfires.

Since 2021, burning on peat deeper than 40cm on some protected sites has needed a Defra licence. From September 2025 this was extended to peat over 30cm in any Less Favoured Area, covering three times more land, while the UK suffered record wildfires. Controlled burning in season safely removes fuel, creating firebreaks and reducing wildfire intensity. We ask the Government to revoke these regulations in full and ensure Natural England amends management plans to allow burning on protected sites.

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