Heather eligibility

Emotions have been running high about the heather eligibility debate.  In the article in this week's Scottish Farmer, Alyn Smith, MEP argues for a pragmatic, non-emotive response to the proposals.  This must be a more sensible approach - work with the system not against it.

The rather more alarmist article in the Press & Journal on 17 March  has been used in the Outer Hebrides as justification for some large fires.  This is an attempt to remove the problem of long, ineligible heather by using fire.  This is not something that will help the argument.  Only a snapshot of the P&J article is available online but it gives a flavour for the full article.

I reported on the system introduced in Northern Ireland in my earlier Blog article, and perhaps I strayed into the more emotive camp.  However, it is an issue of fundamental importance for the management of Scotland's hills and moors and it is essential that we can maintain management of these areas by all the available means.  There are only three methods - mouth, match or machine - and we do not need to lose one.