The Dartmoor Commoners’ Council have been taken to the High Court by a campaign group over the management of grazing on the moors.

The commons is an open area of land in Dartmoor National Park over which a group of around 850 landowners, known as ‘commoners’, have certain rights, which include grazing rights and the rights to keep sheep, cattle and ponies.

The campaign group called Wild Justice say that the Dartmoor Commoners Council (DCC) has failed to meet its responsibilities in conserving the moor by allowing overgrazing and for neglecting its general duties under wildlife laws and regulations.

The hearing took place on July 15 and 16 in London and judgement is expected to be reserved until a later date.

Chris Packham, co-director of Wild Justice said: “Sheep, subsidised by the public, are doing significant damage to lands which should be maintained in the public interest as rich repositories of biodiversity. We are paying many farmers and commoners to damage our own interests. And the sums run into millions of pounds each year. Greed is driving this abuse, pure and simple, and it needs to stop. Defra and Natural England have proved incapable of regulating this, so Wild Justice has stepped up. We are in a crisis – change is essential, and this reckless destruction needs to stop.”

In 2023, an independent review of Dartmoor published by the government, known as the Fursdon Review, concluded that it was “not in a good state”.

The assessment surveyed a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the Dartmoor commons and found that much of the land it surveyed was in an unfavourable condition.

The assessment also noted that reducing grazing stock numbers had been identified by Natural England as a way to bring some of these areas back into favourable condition.

Dr Ruth Tingay, co-director of Wild Justice, called the overgrazing on the moors “a modern day tragedy” and said: “Self-interest should not be allowed to take precedence over public good, and especially not at the expense of either the taxpayer or protected habitats. Dartmoor deserves better.”

In July 2024, Wild Justice sent DCC a pre-action protocol letter detailing alleged issues with its management of the commons and requesting that it issue notices to control the numbers of livestock.

DCC responded but appeared not to take any steps to control livestock numbers, and in August Wild Justice filed a judicial review challenge.