politics
Starmer Pledges to Block Natural England From Culling Dartmoor Ponies
On June 16 Sir Keir Starmer said he would prevent Natural England from ordering a cull of semi-wild Dartmoor ponies. Labour MPs and campaigners criticised the lack of clarity in the agency's livestock reduction policies.
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On June 16 Sir Keir Starmer said he would block Natural England from culling semi-wild Dartmoor ponies in Devon. The statement came two days before the Makerfield by-election. GB News reported that Starmer had given a similar assurance two weeks earlier.
No further action on the issue has been announced since the June 16 pledge. Labour MPs Steve Race for Exeter and Luke Pollard for Plymouth issued a joint statement saying Natural England's policies would lead to a cull even if the agency did not order one directly. They cited a lack of clarity from the agency as the core problem.
A public petition opposing the cull has collected more than 200,000 signatures. Campaigners argue the proposals would render the ponies economically unviable for farmers already facing reduced income. Natural England's scheme targets a reduction of up to 89 percent in the number of animals on Dartmoor, with semi-wild ponies included in the figures for the first time.
Around 1,000 breeding ponies remain, the minimum considered necessary for a sustainable population. Natural England has stated it lacks the power to order a cull and has not advised one. Facts4EU, The Campaign for an Independent Britain and Stand for Our Sovereignty described that position as an entirely false proposition, saying the outcome is an inevitable result of the agency's policies.
The removal of the Basic Payments Scheme in 2022 produced a 41 percent fall in net farm business income for Dartmoor farmers. An independent inquiry completed in 2025 found farmers uncertain how to replace the lost revenue. Lord Redwood said Natural England's environmental targets have become a death warrant for excess livestock and that cutting domestic production would simply increase imports of meat and dairy.
