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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor, published on 12 December 2023, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the design of the (a) Sustainable Farming Incentive and (b) Countryside Stewardship scheme will facilitate retention of the number of semi-wild hill ponies on Dartmoor.

Our new moorland offer includes actions in the Sustainable Farming Incentive, available now, and new and amended actions to be included in Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. We will confirm next steps in the rollout of Countryside Stewardship in due course.

Through the new offer, we provide payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and both cattle and ponies are eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.

We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.

The moorland offer will be subject to monitoring and evaluation. Any change in the pony population during this time will be investigated and further mitigations will be explored if necessary.