Statement on the Government decision on Dartmoor’s Ponies

Responding to this statement from the Government, Tony Whitehead, speaking for Dartmoor Nature Alliance, said: 

“This is a deeply disappointing U-turn by a government that has caved in to conspiracy theories about 'pony culls' and a campaign built on misinformation.

“Removing ponies from stocking calculations does not remove the need to manage all grazing on Dartmoor. Ponies remain grazing livestock. They still exert grazing pressure and must be part of the equation if we are serious about restoring nature and the hydrological function of the uplands. 

“Nor does this decision change the ecological reality. Overgrazing remains one of the principal reasons why Dartmoor's heathland is in decline and why the commons, two-thirds of which are legally protected sites (SSSI and SAC), remain in poor condition. 

“At a time when nature is in crisis and painstaking negotiations are underway to restore these internationally important habitats, it is extraordinary for the Government to hobble its own regulator.  

“Natural England is the Government's statutory nature conservation adviser and the body responsible for upholding environmental law. Despite years of austerity, staff cuts, and relentless political pressure and bullying, NE has worked hard to try and improve the condition of Dartmoor's protected sites. The Government’s decision yesterday actively undermines its own expert advisers, making it harder for them to fulfil their legal duties.

“Even though the way ponies graze is better for the environment than sheep, their impact on the Dartmoor commons is far from insignificant. Just like cattle, pony grazing can be positive or negative for nature depending on the number of animals, grazing patterns and season. A cull was never on the cards, but controlling and managing pony numbers is absolutely necessary. 

“By effectively giving ponies a free pass in stocking calculations, the Government has not removed the need to manage grazing; it has simply shifted the burden elsewhere. To achieve the same ecological outcomes, greater reductions in other livestock, particularly sheep, will now be required. That will be politically difficult and deeply unpopular without further compensation. 

“This means that taxpayers may now have to pick up the bill. If ponies no longer count towards stocking levels, agri-environment schemes will need to offer even greater financial incentives to compensate commoners and farmers for removing other livestock instead. That is money which could be spent restoring peatlands, expanding temperate rainforest, or delivering other desperately needed conservation work.

“This is not just a weak decision on nature, it is an irrational one. It ignores the science, undermines the Government's own statutory advisers, increases costs for taxpayers, and makes the recovery of Dartmoor's protected landscapes harder, not easier. At a time when we should be strengthening nature protection, ministers have chosen to weaken it.

“In a week when this Government has failed to make a strong commitment to nature in line with its own legally binding 30 x 30 target, we are horrified that it has now chosen to actively undermine nature restoration on Dartmoor. 

“The restoration of nature in Dartmoor and in all our national parks gives society an opportunity to create a landscape of abundance, of clean water, of thriving communities. But nature has been an afterthought in Dartmoor’s wounded landscape for too long. Meeting the requirements of environmental law, and restoring our protected sites for nature, should be welcomed and celebrated by everyone, and fully supported by Government. This decision is yet another huge step in the wrong direction.