Robbie Butler, Ulster Unionist MLA, has called for a collaborative, co-designed approach to managing wildfire risk in Northern Ireland’s upland and designated areas, stressing that unmanaged gorse, not sheep farming, is the primary threat to both the environment and rural safety.

Following ongoing discussions with the National Sheep Association and in light of repeated wildfire incidents across the region, Butler warned that ignoring the role of responsible grazing in these areas is a serious policy oversight.

Butler said, “In these fire-prone designated landscapes, sheep aren’t the problem – they’re part of the solution. The real issue is the heavy fire loading caused by unmanaged gorse. If we fail to act, the risks to our environment and rural communities will only increase.”

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has consistently supported a proactive approach to wildfire prevention. UFU Hill Farming Chair Alastair Armstrong has previously highlighted that since early 2023, over 100 wildfires have occurred across Northern Ireland – many fuelled by gorse and heather overgrowth in areas no longer actively grazed. According to the UFU, grazing sheep in upland areas plays a key role in keeping vegetation under control, lowering the potential for fires to spread uncontrollably. Butler agrees and calls for these land management practices to be properly recognised and supported.

Butler continued, “We must identify and deal with any destructive or unmanaged burning. However, we also have to reduce the need for those interventions in the first place. With good agricultural practices and responsible grazing, we can minimise fire loading. It’s common sense – and it’s a win-win.”