Natural England and MPs call for rule change to stop Dartmoor pony cull
Summary
Natural England and some members of parliament want the government to change rules to protect Dartmoor ponies from being killed to reduce animal numbers. The current policies do not differentiate between sheep and ponies, causing concern that many ponies could be culled even though they help the local environment.Key Facts
- Dartmoor ponies have lived on Dartmoor for over 4,000 years and are well adapted to the land.
- Natural England wants to reduce animals on Dartmoor by 76% to protect rare plants and animals from overgrazing.
- The rules by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) treat sheep and ponies the same.
- Sheep eat the most nutritious plants while ponies eat tougher plants that can harm the land if not controlled.
- Farmers are more likely to cull ponies because they can sell sheep for meat but not ponies.
- There are fewer than 1,000 Dartmoor ponies now, down from about 7,000 in 1999.
- MPs and Natural England want Defra to change the rules to protect the ponies.
- Local MPs are meeting government ministers to request a special rule to save the ponies.
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