In an act of significant clumsiness, earlier this week (9 September), Defra announced a massive extension of the ban on burning heather on deep peat, just as the worst wildfire season in recent memory came to an end. A record 996 wildfires have already been recorded in England and Wales this year as a dry, hot summer created tinderbox conditions, especially on moorland.

Counterintuitively, controlled burning of old, dry vegetation in a controlled manner prevents a build-up of flammable material and reduces the risk of wildfires. On heather moorland, burning also promotes the growth of young heather and is used to create a patchwork of vegetation perfect for red grouse and a huge range of other species. That connection, however, makes it an irresistible target for culture warriors for whom grouse shooting is some sort of cypher for wealth and privilege.

In many other parts of the world, controlled burning for fire prevention and to promote the growth of vegetation is also part of land management and farming cultures. Strangely, however, the Maya people in Mexico, the Oromo in Ethiopia or Aboriginals in Australia do not attract the criticism that comes the way of upland gamekeepers in the UK.

There was something slightly unpleasant about the glee with which Defra announced that burning was to be stopped on an additional 450,000 hectares of land by redefining deep peat from the current 40cm to 30cm in depth, especially when the science around burning, carbon release, wildfires and biodiversity is so contested. The case for increased restrictions was far from unchallenged but Defra was quick to act, even though it seemingly requires overwhelming evidence to move in other areas.

Meanwhile, the departure of Angela Rayner from government saw a reshuffle which saw the two big roles in Defra change hands. Secretary of State, Steve Reed, moved to the department of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner was less fortunate and was sacked from government completely. These changes may have been part of a strategy to detoxify the department after the bitter battle over the introduction of inheritance tax on agricultural property, and it is difficult not to feel sorry for Zeichner. For years in opposition, he ploughed a fairly lonely furrow of engagement with rural organisations, but then in government became the whipping boy for the Treasury over the family farm tax.

Reed’s replacement, Emma Reynolds, comes from the Treasury but can point out that she was only appointed as Economic Secretary in January well after the inheritance tax decision. Her constituency of Wycombe does have some farms and is quite rural in comparison to nearly everyone else around the cabinet table which is a positive. Angela Eagle, who served as a Minister in the old Environment department under the last Labour government takes on the farming brief.

Some big decisions lie ahead for the department, and it will be interesting to see whether the narrative of a government that is focused on growth and tackling inequalities is translated into action on the environment, farming and rural affairs. There will be siren voices in the Labour Party calling for more culture war politics in the countryside, but as we have learned again and again, that would benefit nobody.