Natural England and Members of Parliament are urging the government to amend livestock regulations to prevent the culling of ponies on Dartmoor. Semi-wild ponies have inhabited the moor for over 4,000 years, adapting uniquely to the boggy terrain and offering a charming sight for national park visitors.
Outrage erupted after reports that Natural England, a government quango, planned to cull up to 90% of the ponies. The Conservative Party called for a review of the body and potential stripping of its powers. However, sources within Natural England attribute the issue to a policy by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that fails to distinguish between sheep and ponies.
Overgrazing, primarily by sheep, has led to the depletion of wildflowers and other plants, threatening rare birds and butterflies. Natural England aims to destock the moors by 76% to address this. While the quango lacks authority to order culls, commoners who graze animals on the moor receive payments for stewardship. New government plans require livestock reductions to access these funds, potentially leading to culls.
Sources at Natural England note that Defra's rules treat all livestock equally. Sheep consume the most nutritious plants, while ponies effectively remove tough vegetation like molinia grass and gorse, which overwhelm peat bogs and heather. Farmers are more likely to cull ponies than sheep, as sheep can be sold for meat.
According to the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, fewer than 1,000 Dartmoor hill ponies remain, down from about 7,000 in 1999. A government-commissioned review two years ago advised Natural England against actions likely to reduce pony numbers, highlighting their value for conservation grazing.
Joss Hibbs, secretary of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, stated: "Natural England is putting ponies in direct competition with commercial livestock that pay farmers' bills. Their plans ignore scientific evidence and could decimate an endangered species that has been part of the landscape for over 4,500 years."
Local Labour MP Steve Race emphasized: "The ponies are not livestock; they've been integral to Dartmoor's ecosystem for millennia and are the only animals that eat the destructive molinia grass reducing biodiversity." Race and other Devon MPs will meet with Defra ministers next week to discuss a carve-out for ponies.
Caroline Voaden, Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, expressed alarm: "Dartmoor ponies have roamed since the Bronze Age, yet under these plans, their population could drop by 90%. We must protect these semi-wild ponies for future generations."
Defence minister and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard wrote to Defra requesting a pony carve-out, warning that proposed contracts risk creating financial incentives to prioritize commercial livestock over ponies. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the situation "total madness from an unaccountable quango," urging government intervention.
A spokesperson for the prime minister confirmed: "This government will not allow a cull of Dartmoor ponies and we do not manage pony populations by culling in this country."
