Sheep farming information for MPs ahead of debate in the House
14th April 2023
Information for Members of Parliament:
Benefits of sheep grazing in moorland areas
In advance of the ‘Farming on Dartmoor’ debate scheduled for the House on Tuesday 18th April, NSA would like to highlight the benefits of sheep farming on Dartmoor and other upland moorland grazings.
While the debate is specifically about Dartmoor, it is key to the wider discussion about land use and finding the balance between food production, nature recovery, net zero strategies and much more. I trust you will find time to read this email and argue for the points outlined below, regardless of your constituency’s proximity to Dartmoor, because the topic affects every part of rural UK. The absence of livestock from areas like Dartmoor will further damage our ecology and destroy long established cultures, communities and local rural economies.
There is a great deal of information on this topic in the NSA Complementary Role of Sheep in Upland and Hill Areas report. In addition, these are the specific points NSA raises ahead of the Parliamentary debate next week.
1. Any changes should be in line with existing agricultural policy and transitional plans.
Land use is a highly complex topic that will return for discussion in all UK nations as administrations get into the detail of post-Brexit agricultural policies. NSA strongly suggests that, in England specifically, a moratorium is granted in relation to scheme renewals and adjustments in stocking rates until that work is completed. This could be achieved by allowing ‘as is’ roll-ons to agreements for a further 12 months until some of this strategic work is advanced.
2. Farming can deliver multiple outputs – and should be rewarded for doing so.
There are multiple demands on all our land types, at varying levels and balances, including contribution to food production, net zero strategies and carbon capture, nature recovery, the protection of natural resources, landscape value, public wellbeing and access, and the maintenance of rural infrastructure and local rural economies. Farms and associated common land with grazing rights will deliver outcomes at a range of different balances and it should be remembered that most of our wildlife habitats have been created by farming and grazing. If a change in ecology is desired and agreed then agri-environment schemes need to adequately reward farmers and land managers, and not just replace their income through an ‘income foregone’ calculation.
3. It is incorrect to assume removing sheep will create space for nature.
Moorlands in the UK have come largely from a long background of farming/grazing and human activity. Sheep have been present in our uplands for more than 5,000 years. Sheep farming is associated with multi-functional outcomes, continuing to deliver a range of environmental and social outcomes, despite increasing pressure from population growth and expectations around public access – while also producing food and fibre in a low impact manner. Sheep farming is associated with ‘land sharing’ rather than ‘land sparing’ and NSA disputes the singular arguments that a move towards land sparing would create more space for nature in some areas and greater food productivity in others. The challenge is in accurately measuring the outcomes of a multi-functional farming system.
4. If the current system is not working, more extreme measures of the same approach is not wise.
Dartmoor, and many of our upland environments, have been managed over the last 25 years by farmers working to specific prescriptions set by Natural England. In virtually every instance these prescriptions have demanded a reduction in stocking levels and extensification of grazing management. Natural England is now admitting its prescriptions have not worked and is proposing even more extreme measures of the same approach. This results in a dominance of aggressive vegetation, plants such as molinia, gorse and bracken, which become monocultures preventing more delicate plants that often support insect populations. I firmly believe the process of extensification has led to sheep farming systems that have broken a long-established traditional farming system that worked in harmony with the environment. It can be argued what is needed is a more ‘intense’ approach to management that involves more shepherding (some of which could be achieved using technology such as GPS electric fencing and small changes in legislation relating to temporary fencing on common land), agri-environment schemes that support active management, and market and supply chain development that encourage traditional and sensitive farming systems.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like any additional information on these points.
Yours sincerely,
Phil Stocker
National Sheep Association Chief Executive
