Freedom of information requests by the British Medical Journal show that Scottish ministers abandoned tighter restrictions on new stoves after industry lobbying despite warnings about PM2.5 air pollution.
The Scottish government dropped proposals after pressure and meetings with the Stove Industry Association (SIA), which claimed that using a stove to heat your home was a “basic human right.” The Scottish government said that it had met with the SIA three times in June and July 2024.
This is despite calls from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Scotland having urged the Scottish government to reinstate the ban on stoves in new homes.
Notes taken at one of those meetings show that a director from the trade group spoke of “tales of real woe” resulting from the new legislation, including “redundancy,” a “withdrawal of investment,” and a “knock-on effect on other associated tradesmen.”
The quality of the Stove Industry Association’s work in reversing government policy in Scotland was recognised with a prestigious Trade Association award last February, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade, for “sector representation of the year.” The SIA said that applicants had to demonstrate “representative action” on issues of “importance to the future prosperity and growth of its members.”
Recent figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that the UK’s annual PM2.5 emissions from wood used as fuel have increased by 50% in 20 years, from 4100 tonnes in 2004 to 6400 tonnes in 2024.
Another BMJ investigation in March found that local authorities had been threatened with legal action by the SIA for running public health campaigns that warned of the health risks of stoves.
This relentless pursuit of economic growth at all costs and putting the financial interests of industry lobbyists is threatening the health of millions of people around the country and putting a strain on the NHS that is unsustainable.