REPORTS of a proposed mass cull of 500 Dartmoor ponies have been dismissed by the secretary of the Dartmoor Commoners' Council, writes Ann Parsons.
There were claims this week that up to 500 ponies would have to be culled as they could not be sold at market — DEFRA regulations originally meant disinfection costs for lorries for pony sales would be £50 a time, so it had been thought the sales would not take place.
But the Commoners' chairman Cherry Seage said DEFRA had decided ponies were not agricultural animals and guidelines had been amended to make things easier.
She said: 'The first sale of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor ponies was held at Hallworthy near Camelford a week last Friday and prices were reasonable.
'There will be one at Chagford at the end of this month and another at Hatherleigh. Tavistock is being upgraded to a collection centre and will probably hold one in November.
'We are hoping the sales will take away a certain amount of ponies and that others can be sold privately.
Mrs Seage said facilities existed to put down unsold animals, because there was no market for poorer quality animals and very young foals.
'It is up to individual commoners to decided what to do,' she said.
Mrs Seage conceded there were too many ponies on the moor and something would have to be done to reduce numbers eventually. But she said she did not know where the reported figure of a cull of 500 had come from.
John Weir, spokesman for Dartmoor National Park Authority, said they were aware of the difficulties facing pony keepers arising out of foot and mouth movement restrictions and market closures.
'The commoners' council is liaising with the RSPCA and ourselves in order to prevent welfare problems over the autumn and winter,' he said.
'In any one year a percentage of Dartmoor ponies has to be culled, particularly the unwanted colt foals.
'The crucial date is January 1 2002 before the final number can be determined because in the interests of welfare, no colt or filly foals can be put out onto the open moor until the spring.'
RSPCA spokesperson Janet Kipling said the number of surplus ponies after the limited number of market sales and private deals would not be known for a while.
She said: 'If we are realistic there will be a surplus. It has been suggested any cull could take place on farms by licensed slaughtermen, overseen by the commoners' council, and the RSPCA has offered to oversee this as well and pay for a vet if necessary.
'We have to prepare for this to happen.'