Written questions

Peatlands: Controlled Burning

Commons · Question 19996 · Tabled 28 Aug 2026 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Official record

Answered 4 Sep 2026

Question

Asked by Sir Julian Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on land managers of the change in the peat-depth threshold used for regulating heather burning from 40 centimetres to 30

Answer

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, 4 Sep 2026

This Government is committed to protecting moorlands. In September 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to improve the resilience of our moorlands. The Regulations reflect the latest available evidence to guide sustain...