The Dartmoor Commoners’ Council (DCC) has pledged to undertake a more detailed assessment of livestock numbers on Dartmoor Commons following a High Court ruling on 17 March.
The judgment came after a Judicial Review brought by environmental group Wild Justice, which had accused the council of mismanagement, overstocking, and overgrazing on the protected landscape. While the court rejected seven of the group’s eight claims, it ruled that DCC must carry out a more robust assessment of stocking levels and their impact on the environment under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985.
DCC emphasised that the court did not order any destocking or the issuing of limitation notices on livestock farming. A spokesperson said the ruling clarified how future assessments should be conducted and confirmed that the council had not acted unlawfully in its previous decisions.
The council is now convening internal meetings to develop an improved methodology for the assessment in line with its statutory responsibilities. It also expressed thanks to the NFU’s Legal Assistance Scheme for its support, noting that the case had the potential to disrupt local farming businesses.
Livestock on Dartmoor by Matthew Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons