All farms face some level of fire risk. In 2025, the UK experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with more than 116,000 acres of farmland, moorland and forest lost to fire. This highlights the growing importance of fire prevention and preparedness across the agricultural sector.
Reducing the risk of fire on your property should form an integral part of good land management and business continuity planning. Practical measures such as regular machinery maintenance, good workshop housekeeping, and the safe storage and handling of flammable and combustible materials can significantly reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring.
Just as important is being prepared should a wildfire threaten your land. Reviewing emergency procedures, building resilience measures, power supply contingencies, and wider farm safety practices can help ensure you are ready to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency.
DEFRA has produced a useful guide covering these topics in greater detail, including wildfire prevention, farm safety management, building considerations and emergency response planning.
Click here to access the DEFRA guide.
Preventing fires is a key part of effective farm risk management. The NFU has also developed a range of practical guidance to help farmers identify and manage fire risks. Topics include fires in grassland and standing crops, hay and straw storage fires, and the dangers of spontaneous combustion. These resources provide valuable advice to help protect land, livestock, buildings, machinery and valuable farm assets.
Click here to explore the NFU’s fire prevention guidance.
The Farm Advisory Service (Scotland) has produced a useful tool to gather critical information as part of your planning, this can be found here.
There are many more sources of information to help you plan, these include:
- Farmers Weekly: Fire risk planning – what to consider on a livestock farm
- AHDB: Drought – fire prevention
- Forestry Commission: How to respond to and prepare woodlands for extreme weather
- Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service: Farm Safety (available in Welsh language)
- Farm Advisory Service (Scotland): Preventing fires on agricultural land
- CAFRE (Northern Ireland): Managing Heather & Wildfire Response Plan