British national treasure risks being killed off forever under Labour's Net Zero plans

Labour’s net-zero push is set to kill off one of Britain’s national treasures, as they will no longer be economically viable, a new report has revealed.

The report, shown exclusively to GB News, has been curated by Facts4EU, alongside The Campaign for an Independent Britain and Stand for Our Sovereignty.

According to the report, the iconic wild ponies that have grazed Dartmoor for generations could be at risk of extinction.

There are currently thought to be around 1,000 breeding wild ponies on Dartmoor, which is considered the minimum for a barely sustainable population.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

New plans announced by Natural England and Defra to impose livestock limits upon farmers, which would include the ponies, could see limits reducing more than 91 per cent of the population.

Under the new rules, farmers would be forced to prioritise sheep and cattle.

No new contracts were supposed to be negotiated until 2027, when the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group reports on its recommendations from Defra’s review and when the best grazing densities for Dartmoor have been identified.

However, the changes adding ponies to a new grazing contract were announced in January 2022.

Former Secretary of State Lord Redwood, told GB News: “Natural England describes itself as dedicated to ‘recovering nature for Growth, Health and Security’.

“The word ‘Growth’ was added last year under pressure from the Labour government. Its prime aims are to tackle climate change and arrest ‘nature decline’.

“Most of its spending is on a large staff of almost 3,000 (2,974 last year). It has a well-paid Chairman and a well-paid Chief Executive, needing a Head of Strategy, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Scientist, a Chief Business Manager and a Chief Legal Executive.

“All of these are on large six-figure salaries.

“Despite all this talent, last year it failed to hit its CO2 reduction target, used more water and generated more waste when it had pledged to reduce them, failed to cut its use of landfill for waste, and 80 per cent of its fleet were petrol and diesel vehicles generating CO2, in addition to its staff flying 85,000 km.”

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Wearing England badges during World Cup 'intimidating' to asylum seekers, immigration officers told
• Keir Starmer must resign over 'two-tier policing failure and inability to stop boats', says Richard Tice
• Anti-tourism protesters threaten to collapse British holiday hotspot with historic demonstration

Natural England began negotiations unexpectedly to enter into plans that would reduce the number of ponies by 66 per cent earlier this year.

Last month, a petition was launched that has now garnered more than 130,000 signatures.

Dartmoor farmers used to receive what was known as the Basic Payments Scheme, which was available for Less-Favoured Area livestock farms.

In 2022/2023 that was removed, resulting in a 41 per cent plunge in net farm business income for Dartmoor.

In 2025, an independent enquiry said this about the farmers’ financial situation: “It would be fair to say that at present Dartmoor’s farmers do not know how they are going to make up for the loss of BPS.”

____Lord Redwood concluded: “The wild ponies of the New Forest, Exmoor, Dartmoor and Snowdonia all have a right to a life and are widely admired by tourists. Ponies are not the enemy of biodiversity.

“They help create and sustain it. Plans to remove most of them along with a majority of our farm animals that help feed us is a net zero madness and cruelty. How does it help the world if carbon dioxide is produced by foreign cattle whilst most of the UK cattle are killed off?

“The New Forest, Dartmoor and Exmoor ponies are an important part of our landscape, traditions and nature. Natural England who wants rid of them is busy introducing more beavers into our landscape.

“Beavers pull down trees that Natural England likes planting, and block streams and rivers that can disrupt drainage and cause flooding. So why does Natural England have such a distorted view of which parts of nature to promote?

“Their politically correct landscape will be bad for farmers and the tourist trade, whilst Natural England staff merrily fly round the world and drive ICE vehicles with little thought for their contribution to world CO2.”

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter