Dartmoor has become a battleground, a rather more public manifestation of skirmishes that are taking place across the country. The forces may be described as conservationists against farmers, rewilding against food production with a splash of public access and recreation thrown in. But of course it is not as simple as that.
Dartmoor is a National Park with three of the largest SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) in the country. The Forest of Dartmoor Common, for example, covers 11,000 hectares of land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and farmed by those commoners with grazing rights. The SSSIs were designated in the 1980s in recognition of the outstanding landscape and the communities that cared for them. The issue now is that they are not in ‘favourable condition’ despite the huge investment from public funds; the grants from the Higher Level Scheme of Countryside Stewardship are worth around £4.5 million each year. The agreements expire this year and Natural England has offered five year extensions provided that certain changes to management are implemented.
Natural England reports that habitat, especially peatland, is degraded, wildlife has declined and breeding populations of moorland birds such as golden plover, red grouse and ring ouzel ‘have now gone or are on the verge of being lost’. It has set out to farmers and commoners the changes required over the next five years if they are to continue to receive the grants. Effectively, in many areas, this includes the removal of all livestock during the winter and a 90% reduction in summer. For example, on one common of 1,000 hectares, the number of cattle should be reduced from 174 to 17, of sheep from 700 to 180 and of ponies from 60 to 6. The response has been emphatic: Natural England is planning to rewild Dartmoor and wants to see the back of farmers and commoners.
Whilst this is a little extreme, the impact of the changes could be severe. Semi-wild Dartmoor ponies have roamed the moors for four millennia and recent research shows that the breed is one of the very few that has maintained its genetic purity and has not become contaminated by Arab pony genes. There were 25,000 in the 1930s, 900 today but there could be less than 100 if Natural England’s plans come to fruition. There has to be some doubt if the breed could then survive in the wild, as there is for the farmers and commoners. Their disappearance would have a knock-on effect on livestock markets and auctioneers, hauliers, vets and those who make their living from farming, directly and indirectly, on Dartmoor. The impact on rural communities, the traditions and way of life could be dramatic.
There is debate about the reasons why the SSSIs are in unfavourable condition. The farmers and commoners believe that climate change is major factor, alongside nitrates in the air and rain adding fertiliser to the sward. There are not the hard frosts and snow covering that there were in times past. Natural England accepts this but says that overgrazing and degradation of the peat are critical factors despite the fact that stocking rates have been reduced significantly over the years. Molinia or purple moor grass is rampant and smothering out other flora and this is due to overgrazing according to Natural England. It is relatively palatable in spring and early summer but dies back in October leaving a dense blanket killing other less aggressive species. Farmers and commoners say this is due to undergrazing in spring when it could be eaten by livestock.
In such circumstances, I would tend to side with those who have farmed the land for centuries but it is fair to point out that they are fighting for their very existence as they see it. But they have support from Dr Adrian Colston, an associate research fellow at the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter who wrote his PhD thesis on the management of Dartmoor. He has tweeted ‘Natural England need to get their act together and realise that on Dartmoor most of our commons, 50% of their areas, are severely undergrazed and dominated by the grass Molinia … Favourable condition will not be achieved by further stocking cuts. Let this madness stop please.’
The access issue refers to a recent High Court ruling that wild camping on Dartmoor is illegal, as in other National Parks. The case was brought by a landowner who claimed that campers were leaving rubbish and not treating the countryside with appropriate respect. The National Park Authority has sought permission to appeal and, in the meantime, has secured a permissive system in some areas provided campers leave no trace of their presence. Proponents of wild camping say that being confined to certain areas and, in some cases, having to seek permission undermines the very principle of wild camping.
I am not qualified to judge on these issues but it is clear that common sense and consensus is required. In terms of stocking rates, I suspect that they may be too heavy in some areas at certain times of year as Natural England asserts, for example in winter when sheep might graze heather and bilberry, but too light at others as claimed by the commoners. Molinia does not thrive in stagnant water so the drying out of the peat is certainly a factor in its spread. The farmers and commoners could simply not renew their Stewardship agreements when they expire, which would remove some of Natural England’s leverage, but they would then lose the grant income. It would catastrophic if the rural communities on Dartmoor lost their livelihood and centuries old traditions were lost. Local MPs spoke in a debate in Westminster Hall last week calling for a twelve month independent review. As Defra has now instigated just such a review let us hope that a consensus can be reached.