Dartmoor ponies face cull due to new farming rules

Dartmoor National Park's semi-wild ponies, a breed present for over 3,500 years, are facing potential culling due to new environmental regulations. These historic animals, managed by local Commoners, have never been subject to grazing density restrictions until now. New proposals from Defra and Natural England mandate a 75% reduction in livestock for farmers.

Campaigners fear this will lead to up to 93% of the approximately 1,000 ponies being removed to make way for commercial cattle. Charlotte Faulkner, chairman of Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony, stated that ponies will now compete with commercial livestock and likely be the first to go.

Despite these concerns, a Defra spokesman indicated they are working with partners to maintain semi-wild pony numbers. The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association reports numbers have fallen from 7,000 in 1999 to fewer than 1,000. The breed was added to the Rare Breed Survival Trust watchlist in 2023.

A petition to protect the ponies has garnered over 17,000 signatures, with activists arguing that further reductions will make the population genetically unviable. Local farmers, like Robert Jordan, whose family has farmed in the area since 1913, emphasize the deep connection between the generational farms and the ponies.

This situation follows a High Court ruling earlier this year where a judge found the Dartmoor Commoners' Council had failed to assess livestock numbers grazing the moor, a move prompted by environmental groups citing concerns over biodiversity loss due to overgrazing.