From Wildfire to Whitewash: Time to Push Back

This summer’s wildfires have blown a hole through the canoe of those who insist the answer is to “wet it up and walk away.” We all know where that ends, uncontrollable fires, lost habitats, livestock at risk and whole communities breathing smoke. Abandonment is not management. It never has been. Yet instead of facing up to the evidence, some in the public sector have chosen to lash out. That should alarm every gamekeeper reading this.

When Public Servants Cross the Line

Take one of the recent Fire Operations Group meetings, chaired by a public servant whose role is to ensure impartiality, when an e-NGO representative casually described the local moorland Facebook group posts as “dross.” It was a clear insult aimed at people on the ground. And what did the chair do? Nothing. Not a word of challenge. Silence was taken as endorsement.

Or look at Natural England. A senior officer told a Member of Parliament that any academic who questions Natural England’s stance on heather burning is a “climate denier.” Let that sink in. Branding respected researchers in the same breath as conspiracy theorists. This, despite Natural England’s own evidence review earlier this year conceding the science is not settled and despite multiple peer-reviewed papers published in the last six months that challenge their position.

Environmental campaign groups can say what they like. That’s the game they play. But public servants? Absolutely not. They are supposed to be bound by the Principles of Public Office. These are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. These are not optional extras or polite suggestions, they are the minimum standards we should expect from anyone entrusted with shaping decisions that affect lives, livelihoods and landscapes.

If they cannot meet these standards, they should step aside and make way for those who can. Every time a public servant sneers at a local keeper, or smears an academic for asking hard questions, they trample these principles. And when that happens, they don’t just damage themselves, they undermine the whole democratic process.

How Can Gamekeepers Push Back

Gamekeepers cannot ignore this any longer. If we let these failures go unchallenged, the policy battlefield will be ceded entirely to lobby groups and their friends in government offices. Here’s how we push back; firmly, fairly and effectively. Keep records. If you hear a public servant cross the line, write down exactly what was said, by whom, and when. Don’t let it slide. Share it within your local moorland group and make sure it’s documented. Use the system.

Every public body, from Natural England to Defra, has a formal complaints process. Use it. Put it in writing, stay factual and don’t get dragged into name-calling. Bring in your MP. Your elected representative has the power, and the duty, to call public servants to account. Give them the facts and ask for action. Stay professional. Our credibility lies in being calm, disciplined and grounded in evidence. That’s what wins respect.

We know the truth, managed moorland reduces fuel loads, slows the spread of fire and supports wildlife. We are the ones out there cutting fire breaks and assisting the fire services. We are the ones protecting carbon stores by preventing catastrophic burns. This is not theory, it is lived experience, repeated season after season, in all weathers and against all odds.

That experience should be valued, not dismissed. The public deserves officials who acknowledge that reality, not ones who close ranks with lobbyists and vilify those who disagree. The Nolan Principles were not written for decoration. They are the foundation of public trust. If some public servants have forgotten that, then it falls to us to remind them.

This is not about picking fights. It’s about fairness, neutrality and the survival of our way of life. Wildfires won’t be stopped by insults and ideology. They will be stopped by practical management and honest partnership. It’s time to stop the rot. It’s time to hold public servants to the standards they agreed to uphold.

This article first appeared in Shooting Times.

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