A letter calling on the Secretary of State to protect the native ponies of Exmoor and Dartmoor has gathered more than 6,500 signatures in 5 days, drawing support from across the country and raising wider questions about trust in Natural England and the Government’s handling of upland farming.
The letter was launched by James Wright, an Exmoor farmer and Conservative campaigner, after Natural England moved to change the rules on Dartmoor. Under new grazing contracts, up to 90% of Dartmoor’s semi-wild ponies could be removed from the moor. The letter asks the Government to make sure the same approach is not forced on Exmoor, where the native pony is one of Britain’s rarest and oldest breeds, descended from fewer than 50 animals that survived the Second World War.
The campaign comes at a moment of real uncertainty for the uplands, the Basic Payment Scheme has finished, and its replacement, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, was closed to new applicants in March 2025 before reopening this year in a weaker form. Many upland farms remain tied to older stewardship agreements that have not kept pace with inflation. With agri-environment payments now making up around a third of the average farm’s income, and more for many upland holdings, decisions taken by Natural England and Defra increasingly determine whether traditional moorland grazing survives at all.
Mr Wright will deliver the letter to the Secretary of State in person on behalf of those who have signed, calling for the ponies of both moors to be recognised as part of the nation’s cultural and biological heritage.
James Wright said: “This is about the ponies, our way of life and it is about Natural England; whether anyone can still trust a word they say. When grazing agreements ended on Dartmoor, families who had farmed those commons for generations were threatened with enforcement. A government review then told the agency to completely change its approach. So forgive me if I do not take their reassurances about Exmoor at face value. Anyone who does is being naive.”
“The truth is the Government has no plan for the uplands. The schemes hill farmers relied on have been closed and reopened in a weaker form. The ponies are simply the first casualty, and the rest of upland Britain is waiting.”
He added: “These animals survived a world war. They should not have to survive their own Government. Six and half thousand people have signed this letter in five days because they understand that once these ponies are gone, they are gone for good.”
The letter remains open for signatures. https://www.james-wright.org.uk/news/save-our-moorland-ponies-sign-letter
