Written questions

Peatlands: Controlled Burning

Commons · Question 19997 · 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 recent assessment her Department has made of the scientific evidence on the environmental impacts of managed heather burning on deep peat; and whether it has commissioned any inde

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...