Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation (a) his Department and (b) Natural England have carried out with Dartmoor commoner farmers on the decision of Natural England to remove sheep from upland areas in Dartmoor.

There has been no decision by any part of Government to remove sheep from upland areas on Dartmoor.

Okehampton Common is part of the North Dartmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest and Dartmoor Special Area of Conservation, and subject to an agreement for making environmental improvements. Surveys in 2018 and 2019 showed current grazing levels are impacting the special habitats. Natural England is currently working with the commoners on Okehampton Common to explore potential adjustments to grazing levels to reverse the damage and meet the environmental outcomes required by the scheme.