A row is growing over the potential cull of Dartmoor’s hill ponies as campaigners warn Natural England’s approach to conserving the landscape could “devastate” the endangered breed. Cutting livestock grazing on the moor’s commons, under new contracts from the government’s conservation agency, could lead to the removal – and likely cull – of up to 90% of hill ponies, opponents say.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it “total madness” and launched a petition, while a Downing Street spokeswoman said the government would not allow a cull and insisted the animals were safe. Natural England said it wanted to maintain numbers of the semi-wild ponies on the moor “for generations to come”.
“Campaigners warn up to 90% of Dartmoor’s hill ponies may be culled under new conservation contracts.”
The ponies have been on the landscape for 4,500 years, but numbers have declined sharply: there were 6,000 on Dartmoor 25 years ago, but now there are fewer than 1,000. Natural England is including the ponies in livestock counts under its new moorland agri-environmental schemes, which provide payments for farmers for grazing upland in ways that benefit nature. Campaigners warn the new schemes would cut livestock, including hill ponies, by 56% to 89%. They also say previous cuts – from which the ponies were protected in the past – had not boosted biodiversity.
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association (DHPA) said the move would force commoners, who have rights to put livestock on the commons of the moor, to choose between commercial sheep and cattle, and the ponies for which they have traditionally been guardians. Joss Hibbs, secretary of the DHPA which represents commoners, said the loss of hill ponies would be damaging for biodiversity, as they are the best grazer of the “monoculture” Molinia grass that has come to dominate the moor. She warned: “Natural England’s approach will devastate the Dartmoor hill pony population, it will make farms financially unviable and it’s extremely doubtful there will be any environmental benefit.”
Devon-based Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony charity has called for long-term legal protection of the remaining herds in recognition of their rare status, and a separate agreed moor-wide herd size, as was in place with previous contracts. Campaigners also said Natural England should wait for the outcomes of the Land Use Management Group set up to implement the recommendations of a government-commissioned review in 2023, which is drawing up a land use plan for Dartmoor by 2027. The Conservatives urged Labour to intervene and overrule Natural England, but no decision has been announced – leaving the 4,500-year-old breed’s future hanging in the balance.