Up to 90% of the remaining ponies on Dartmoor could be lost, campaigners fear, as limits imposed by new Government contracts could contribute to hill ponies’ extinction – and further damage biodiversity.
Under contracts drawn up by Natural England (NE), farmers are paid a small amount if they graze animals on the moors. But the proposed new grazing density figures include “cattle and/or ponies”, and the limits have decreased. Until now, many parts of Dartmoor had been allowed to exclude the hill ponies from the quotas, and if commoners exceed the limits, they lose their livelihoods.
“The contracts – a shift away from higher level stewardship to countryside stewardship agri-environment schemes – could come into force as early as the end of this year, meaning that the majority of ponies rounded up in the annual ‘drifts’ in October would not be returned to the moor, and the most likely outcome is a cull,” a spokesperson for the Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony charity said.
The Government commissioned an independent review of the “protected site management” of Dartmoor, which made recommendations for preserving the landscape.
The report states: “Dartmoor’s pony population is invaluable for conservation grazing and genetically important. We have seen industry estimates of a target population of between 1,000 and 2,500 head. Ponies and cattle should not be linked for the calculation of stocking rates and NE should not take actions likely to result in a reduction in their numbers.”
A petition has been set up against the plans
The Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony said that 25 years ago, there were some 6,000 ponies on the moor; there are fewer than 1,000 today, “as a result of historical policy changes”. The breed was classed as endangered by the United Nations and included on Defra’s “native at risk” list in 2023.
An NE spokesperson told H&H that “in line with the review”, the Government is “working with partners, including the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, to help ensure that we maintain numbers of semi-wild ponies on the moor for generations to come”.
But a spokesperson for the friends charity told H&H these conversations have not taken place.
Dartmoor hill pony culls feared
“The response from NE has nothing to say they won’t reduce pony numbers,” she said. “The inevitable outcome we can see is that pony numbers will have to be reduced by at least 60% which would be catastrophic for the population, and up to 90% as a worst-case scenario. That essentially wipes out the population.
“Genetically, losing even one is a tragedy. They’ve already dwindled them thanks to management policies, to 1,000 ponies. We’re asking for those ponies to remain on the moor, and a proper review to figure out what the stocking numbers should be.That 1,000 is the absolute minimum to retain the genetic integrity of that population; the value to the whole equine gene pool is huge and it would be tragic to lose them.”
A concern on Dartmoor is the prevalence of molinia; an invasive and dominant species of grass that, research has shown, the hill ponies eat. The review said controlling molinia should be the second-highest priority for the area’s future, so campaigners are concerned that reducing numbers of ponies will also have a negative effect on the environment.
“Under the previous schemes, which reduced grazing density, the molinia took over due to undergrazing,” the charity spokesperson said. “What they’re now proposing is a further reduction in all livestock. We’re worried about ponies specifically, but it applies to cows and sheep too. Arguably none of those grazers should be reduced on Dartmoor, because the molinia is already taking over, and we know ponies help control this invasive species that crowds out everything else.
“It doesn’t make sense; they’re flying in the face of what the evidence shows them.”
New contracts
She added that the new contracts could be brought in by the end of this year, sooner than had been thought.
“There are so many reasons the ponies should be kept there,” she said. “They’ve shaped the moorland ecology, they help retain biodiversity, they allow clear spaces that allow invertebrate and plant species to come through. They work in harmony with the moor, not against it.”
James Wright, an Exmoor cattle and sheep farmer who is also policy director for the Conservative Rural Forum, is backing opposition to the new quotas.
He told H&H he is concerned for the Dartmoor hill ponies but also the Exmoors, if new contracts are rolled out more widely.
“What we need is positive signals from Defra to show that they support the role of our semi-feral heritage breeds,” he said. “Defra seems to be unable to do the best for nature, farmer and pony. It’s a lose-lose.”
The NE spokesperson added: “Impact on pony populations will be continually monitored for any adverse effects and mitigations will be explored to ensure no further reduction in population numbers.”
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