Last week’s spell of hot, dry weather brought a predictable spate of moorland fires, most notably at Tintwhistle Moor in Derbyshire where 500 acres of moorland burned over two days. 

There is not much that can be done, in the short term at least, about our warming climate. Education is making no difference to the prevalence of fires. That leaves management and it is here that ideology is blinding some people to reality.

MPs from across the political spectrum used a Westminster Hall debate on fly-tipping to underline many of the concerns and recommendations recently set out in the report produced by the Countryside Alliance for Future Countryside and the National Rural Crime Network, Breaking the Cycle: Tackling Fly-Tipping and Waste Crime in the UK.

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Andy Burnham now looks certain to become Prime Minister, probably within weeks, and will reshape the government to deliver his agenda. Who he appoints as Defra Secretary and in the department’s other ministerial roles will tell us a lot about the direction he intends to take the government’s policy on the countryside. 

The countryside faces its greatest challenge for a generation. Become a member today and help us fight damaging legislation, defend rural freedoms and protect our rural way of life.