Consultation by Minister for Rural Affairs into

HUNTING WITH DOGS – ISSUES OF CRUELTY, UTILITY AND PROCESS

Evidence of the Exmoor National Park Authority relating to the relationship between hunting and the conservation management of Red Deer in Exmoor National Park

Background

Exmoor National Park is one of ten National Parks in England and Wales established under the provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.  The statutory purposes of the National Park are set out in the Environment Act 1995:

• to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park; and

• to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities [of the National Park] by the public.

In common with the other National Parks in England and Wales, Exmoor is administered by a National Park Authority.  The Authority has 26 members 19 of whom are local elected members nominated by local parish, district and county councils, and seven are appointed by the Secretary of State because of their special skills and knowledge to represent the national interest. Eight of the current National Park Authority members are farmers or directly involved in agriculture, several are retired and the remainder are involved in a variety of businesses and other organisations.  Seven members of the Authority have publicly stated that they have participated in some form of hunting recently or in the past.

This evidence limits itself to those areas of the debate on hunting with hounds that relate to the purposes and duties of the National Park Authority and, in particular, the potential impact of a ban on stag hunting in view of its importance on Exmoor.  The report sets out a short description of Exmoor and of hunting activity within the Exmoor National Park area, followed by specific responses to the questions set out in the letter seeking evidence as published by the Minister.

The National Park Authority has not taken a view on the moral and ethical issues surrounding hunting with hounds as this is for Parliament to decide and cannot be taken into account by a local authority.  However, full consideration has been given to the potential impact of a ban on hunting with hounds on the conservation management of Exmoor’s wild red deer herd.

Natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage

Exmoor National Park covers 693 square kilometres with approximately two thirds in West Somerset and one third North Devon.  The National Park is wholly rural with a resident population of approximately 10,600 and only three settlements of more than 1,300 people.  The main land uses are as farmland (56%); moorland (also grazed) (27.5%) and woodland (12%).  The National Trust is the largest landowner in the Park (10.3%), followed by the Exmoor National Park Authority (7%).  However, the majority of the Park area is privately owned.

The National Park is of high landscape and wildlife conservation value.  The whole National Park is designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and approximately 27% of the National Park area has been notified as being of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).  Certain areas are also recognised by European conservation designations.

Hunting and shooting of red deer, as with other country sports on Exmoor, notably fox hunting, game shooting and fishing, are traditional pursuits enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and an important aspect of Exmoor’s cultural heritage.  These activities also make a significant contribution to the local economies of these communities.

Red deer on Exmoor

The Exmoor area has the largest herd of wild red deer in England.  Moreover, Exmoor hinds and stags are generally regarded as being among the largest and finest examples of their species in the country with Exmoor deer hinds being some 20% heavier than most Scottish ‘open hill’ herds (Langbein, 1997).

Any description of Exmoor must mention the importance of red deer and the National Park Authority’s logo carries the head and antlers of the red deer stag.  When Exmoor was designated a National Park in 1954, its red deer herds were undoubtedly a significant factor in the decision to designate.   In its description of Exmoor as a potential National Park, the Report of the National Park Committee in 1947 stated “The area is notable for its wildlife; red deer have roamed on Exmoor from time immemorial, and it is the setting for John Fortescue’s delightful ‘Story of a Red Deer’”.  (Report of the National Park Committee (England and Wales) July 1947 HMSO Cmd 7121).

The current National Park Management Plan published in 2001, sets out the strategic objectives and policies for managing the National Park, to guide both the National Park Authority itself in carrying out its functions and all other bodies and individuals who will influence the future or Exmoor.  The Plan states:

7.7    ‘Exmoor area has one of the largest herds of wild red deer in England. There is a strong association between the National Park and red deer, which is reflected in the use of this species as the logo of the National Park Authority. The wild red deer are an important part of the ecology of Exmoor and people’s enjoyment of the area is enhanced by seeing red deer. The maintenance of a healthy herd in balance with the environment is in keeping with the purposes of the National Park.

7.8    Management by people is essential to maintaining the herd, and traditionally a mixture of hunting and shooting has achieved this. The relationship between the deer, the hunt and those who manage the land is complex and the key to the continued success in maintaining the fine herd of red deer. Should legislation be introduced to ban hunting with hounds, it is essential that adequate arrangements are in place to ensure the continued conservation and management of the red deer herds on Exmoor. Measures will also have to be taken to address any adverse effects on the social and economic well-being of Exmoor’s rural community.

Objective 7/2 of the National Park Management Plan is: ‘To maintain a healthy population of wild red deer, managed so that it is in balance with the environment, farming and forestry’.

In pursuit of the National Park Management Plan objective the National Park Authority has actively supported deer research over the past few years.  This has included, for example, working with the Exmoor and District Deer Management Society in its annual deer census and contributing to the work of the National Trust’s Deer Hunting Working Party.  The Working Party’s Report (the Savage Report)[1] recommended inter alia the need for further research on deer movements and deer damage to agriculture, forestry and conservation interests.  Dr Jochen Langbein of Southampton University was subsequently commissioned to do this work with funding provided by the National Park Authority and others.  The final report of this research project was received in October 1997[2].

A further recommendation of the Savage report was that the National Trust should encourage the formation of a Deer Forum for Exmoor.  The Exmoor Deer Forum has since been established with the National Park Authority providing the secretariat.  The Deer Forum exists to provide an opportunity for representatives of organisations (21 in all, including the National Park Authority), concerned with wild red deer on Exmoor to meet and exchange ideas and opinions.

The past ten years have seen a number of research studies into the red deer population on Exmoor and surrounding areas and the economic, social and environmental importance of hunting of deer with hounds.  Though not the lead body in commissioning these studies, the Exmoor National Park Authority played an active role in forming and supporting the studies and responding to the research findings.

Evidence on issues of cruelty and utility

The Minister has stated that two key principles of prevention of cruelty and the concept of utility will be addressed in the proposed legislation on hunting with dogs. Exmoor National Park Authority has nothing new to add on the issue of whether hunting does or does not cause unnecessary suffering to quarry and the remainder of this evidence addresses the specific issue of the utility of deer hunting in the sustainable conservation management of red deer in Exmoor.

Utility

The red deer herds on Exmoor are truly wild.  Originally a woodland animal, they now roam freely across moorland, through woodland and farmland.  They graze where food is to be found, whether it be moorland heather, young tree shoots or farmers’ turnips, barley or emerging silage crop. Since the extinction of the wolf, the only natural enemy of red deer is man.  For centuries, man has adopted management practices to ensure an acceptable level of red deer.

On Exmoor, these management practices have traditionally been a mixture of culling by shooting and by hunting with hounds, with the former exceeding the latter in terms of numbers killed.  Hunting with hounds is also used to manage the distribution of deer and move local deer populations away from areas where they are causing unacceptable damage.  This forced movement of deer is also thought to help maintain a high quality red deer herd by discouraging inbreeding.

The red deer count carried out by the Exmoor Deer Management Society in 2002 counted 2,820 deer compared to 2,727 in 2001, 2,752 in 2000 and 2,399 in 1999. Based on this evidence, the overall red deer population of Exmoor is stable and estimated as being a minimum of 3,000 animals.

This number represents a grazing impact roughly equivalent to 900 livestock units.  This is small compared to approximately 75,000 livestock units arising from domestic animals farmed across Exmoor (approximately 42,900 cattle and 214,000 sheep).  However, deer damage can still be severe at the local level and Langbein (1997) noted an almost complete cessation of natural regeneration in those broad-leaved woodlands most heavily frequented by deer.  Forestry Commission guidance recommends a maximum of just over two deer per 100 Hectares of woodland and Langbein (1997) states that significant regeneration is unlikely once deer numbers exceed five per 100 Hectares.  Deer densities in Exmoor broad-leaved woodlands frequently exceed these figures and local management measures such as deer fencing and protective tubes are used to ensure effective woodland establishment and regeneration.

Crop damage by deer can also be significant and damage to hedgerows and boundaries is clearly evident in many places on Exmoor. It is often stated that there is increased tolerance of deer damage to crops, woodlands and boundaries amongst Exmoor farmers and landowners as a result of interest in hunting of deer with hounds.  The hunt responds to problems raised with the Deer Management Society by organising hunts on areas where damage is occurring which effectively disperses the deer.

In its summary, the report of the Burns Inquiry (Burns, 2000) states:

“38 It is generally accepted that red deer numbers in Devon and Somerset [principally Exmoor and the Quantocks] need to be controlled. Hunting with dogs presently accounts for about 15% of the annual cull needed to maintain the population at its present level. However, because of the widespread support which it enjoys, and consequent tolerance by farmers of deer, hunting at present makes a significant contribution to management of the deer population in this area. [Our emphasis] In the event of a ban, some overall reduction in total deer numbers might occur unless an effective deer management strategy was implemented, which was capable of promoting the present collective interest in the management of deer and harnessing such interest into sound conservation management. (Paragraph 5.75)”

Exmoor National Park Authority supports this finding of the Inquiry and would like to draw the Minister’s attention to this important issue.

Shooting as an alternative to hunting for the purpose of culling deer on Exmoor

As stated above, the annual counts suggest that deer populations on Exmoor have been stable over many years. There is general consensus about the need for deer management, but conservation management of red deer is not simply a matter of choosing from a range of culling techniques.  Effective management requires a degree of control over numbers culled, the condition of individual animals selected for culling and management of deer distribution.

Whilst only a small proportion (approximately 15%) of the deer that are culled on Exmoor each year are culled by the hunts, the above evidence recognises how hunting with hounds forms an integral part of the present deer management arrangements on Exmoor.  The current informal system provides a sustainable management regime for the red deer herd that has the support of the majority of the farming and landowning community.  The National Park Authority is concerned that an end to hunting with hounds could mean that some farmers/landowners will no longer be prepared to tolerate the level of deer damage they currently do.  There could be pressure to reduce the size of the herd or radically reduce it in certain areas.  Without new effective management frameworks in place there could also be an increase in indiscriminate, uncoordinated shooting with, in short, an end to the present red deer management regime as we know it and the risk of serious consequences for the future number, quality and distribution of Exmoor’s red deer herds.   This concern is borne out in the Burns Inquiry.

Whilst no scientific evidence is available, some weight is given to this view by historical evidence from the past two hundred years indicating significant declines in the number of red deer on Exmoor during periods when stag hunting was not being practiced (E.g. C.P. Collyns, 1902, Chase of the Red Deer).  The Porchester Inquiry into land management on Exmoor published in 1977 also concludes that “stag hunting on Exmoor operates as a force for conservation”.

While we know of no research evidence to support this view, many people believe that a significant increase in deer shooting will drive the deer to cover.  Any such effect could lead to increased damage to woodland regeneration and increased pressure for further population reduction, and significantly reduce the opportunities for the general public to enjoy sightings of wild deer on open moorland and in fields.  This is undoubtedly an important and valued quality of a day on Exmoor, indeed a unique experience for many visitors to this national park.  There is hardly a tourism enterprise in and around Exmoor that does not evoke this ‘special quality’ of Exmoor.

The Exmoor National Park Authority believes that an increase in commercial stalking could lead to significant danger of overexploitation of the local red deer herd, particularly the larger ’trophy’ stags.  Whilst management of deer through stalking operates on the large upland estates of Scotland, we believe that it would not transfer readily to the situation on Exmoor.  Landholdings on Exmoor are relatively small and red deer roam freely across ownership boundaries. This means that individual deer are not ‘owned’ by any one individual and voluntary restraints on stalking of the best trophies are unlikely to be easily negotiated or sustainable into the long term.

In conclusion, the main alternative method to hunting with hounds for the management of deer numbers is through shooting with rifles.  There is concern that total reliance on shooting to control deer numbers on Exmoor will lead to higher levels of shooting than currently because of a reduction in the tolerance of deer damage.  The National Park Authority believes that a reduction in tolerance of deer and an increase in shooting is likely to have the following consequences:

• A substantial decline in the overall population of red deer on Exmoor.
• Decline in herd quality arising from over exploitation of ‘trophy’ stags.
• An alteration in deer behaviour with increased reluctance of ‘gun shy’ deer to venture into open areas as they revert to their original habits – remaining in woodland by day and only venturing onto open ground by night.  Although research is needed to demonstrate this effect, people’s enjoyment of the National Park is greatly enhanced by their ability to catch a sight of red deer easily and regularly, and such a behavioural change would reduce the visibility of deer and damage this ‘special quality’ of Exmoor.
• A potential increased risk to public safety resulting from any increase in the use of guns and rifles, and the potential increase in inexperienced users.  This risk is likely to be compounded by proposed legislation to increase public access to open land.
• Increased levels of suffering to wounded deer and no effective method to track and cull wounded animals – a role currently provided by the hunts.
• Potential changes to the landscape and woodland areas from installation of shooting platforms.

Whether hunting with hounds should be banned is clearly a sensitive national issue, the morals and ethics of which are not the concerns of the Exmoor National Park Authority.  However, given that a ban of hunting with hounds could represent a significant change in current deer management arrangements, there is concern that such a ban could have serious implications for:

• the future arrangements for the sustainable management of the red deer herds and, in turn, their conservation and enhancement, and size and quality.
• the enjoyment by the public of a ‘special quality’ of the National Park.
• the social and economic well-being of the National Park’s communities.

Therefore, there are direct implications for National Park purposes and the National Park Authority believes that it is essential that these purposes are not put at risk.

Conclusion

Exmoor National Park Authority is concerned that a ban on the hunting of deer with hounds would represent a very significant change in the management of the wild deer herd on Exmoor which, as the earlier sections of this evidence explain, might adversely affect the future sustainability of the herd, and by extension a much valued aspect of Exmoor’s cultural heritage.  It would also have a serious impact on the social and economic well-being of its rural communities.  In this way, it could put the National Park Authority’s own statutory purposes and duties at risk.

Exmoor National Park Authority believes that, prior to any ban on hunting with hounds, full account  should be taken of the implications for Exmoor’s wild red deer herds and Exmoor’s cultural heritage, as well as people’s enjoyment of both these special qualities.

The National Park Authority would wish to avoid legislation that gives greater protection to deer but does not allow for effective population management and could therefore lead to greater numbers of pest species.  No agreed alternative model to the current management regime yet exists for an appropriate mechanism for deer management that will maintain the current numbers, quality and visibility of wild red deer on Exmoor.

The Exmoor Deer Forum has sought to address this issue but it is a difficult one to discuss given the level of local commitment to current arrangements involving hunting.  The National Park Authority believes that red deer control methods currently used in Scotland would not transfer to the different circumstances of Exmoor, and the Deer Initiative has so far not addressed the issue of deer management on Exmoor.

In addition, specific measures and resources would be needed to ameliorate the economic and social impacts of any hunting ban on local communities, and to replace hunt services to farmers and landowners including pest control, fallen stock service, casualty service etc.

In conclusion, Exmoor National Park Authority urges Government to ensure that, if legislation is introduced to ban hunting with hounds:

• adequate arrangements are in place in good time for the future conservation and management of the red deer herds on Exmoor, involving as necessary, secondary legislation to regulate deer culling and enable effective population management
• adequate measures are in place in good time to balance any adverse effects on the social and economic well-being of Exmoor’s rural communities.

Exmoor National Park Authority
Statement on the economic and social impacts of hunting on Exmoor

Economic impacts

The principal economic activities on Exmoor are agriculture and tourism.  The 1991 census indicated approximately 19% of the economically active population (16 to 65 year olds not engaged in full-time education) were engaged in agriculture, with 32% in distribution and catering, and 31% in other services.  The percentage of persons employed in agriculture has declined from 24.2% in 1971 and is likely to now be significantly reduced still further by recent declines in agricultural incomes.  The total agricultural labour force in 1997 was 1883.  Of these 589 were full time farmers, 348 regular full time labourers and 279 seasonal and casual labourers.  A survey in 1988 estimated 2,641 jobs in the tourist industry, many of which were part time and seasonal.

Dependence on agriculture, tourism and service industries results in a general pattern of lower than average household incomes and a high proportion of local people in part time and seasonal employment. Seasonality of employment inevitably leads to higher unemployment in the winter months.

The general fragile state of the Exmoor economy has been recognised by the inclusion of the rural parishes of Exmoor within the area designated for Objective 2 European Structural Funding in South West England.  The foot and mouth disease crisis in 2001 further emphasised this fragility and led to an estimated £16 million loss of income to businesses based in the National Park.

The report of Winter et al (1993)[3] into deer hunting on Exmoor and the Quantocks identified 12 people directly employed by the hunts, 95 grooms caring for the hunting horses and a minimum of 40 jobs in trades closely associated with stag hunting – a total of 147 jobs directly associated with stag hunting.

Using a ‘minimum requirements multiplier’ of 1.88 the study went on to estimate that 129 jobs will be indirectly associated with the 147 jobs directly associated with stag hunting.  This study therefore indicated approximately 276 jobs associated with stag hunting in 1993, approximately 1.1% of the economically active population in the study area of North Devon and West Somerset.

Although only a small percentage of employment in the whole study area, the report authors go on to state “we are fully aware that locally the economic impact may be far greater than these figures imply.  Thus the smaller villages at the heart of the [stag] hunting country are clearly reliant on [stag] hunting to a much greater degree than those on the fringes”.

A follow up study commissioned in 1998 by West Somerset District Council and others, identified 197 full time equivalent (fte) jobs directly employed and 217 fte indirectly employed in all forms of hunting with hounds in West Somerset and Exmoor (Manley et al., 1999)[4].  The following extract is taken directly from the summary of this report:

^(i) Direct expenditure and employment

(ii) Indirect employment: Within the limitations detailed in the main report, a multiplier of 2.1 is used to estimate second round indirect employment associated with the total direct employment generated by hunting. 197 x 2.1 – 197 = 217)

(iii) Total hunting employment: Combining the estimated direct and indirect employment figures of 197 and 217 respectively gives the total employment figure associated with hunting in the study area.

(iv) Hunting and general employment: Direct employment attributable to hunting is broadly equivalent to two per cent of employment in West Somerset.  Total employment (direct and indirect) attributable to hunting is broadly equivalent to four per cent of employment in West Somerset.”

The study by Manley et al. (1999) also confirmed that a ban on hunting would have a significant impact on the economy of the parishes at the centre of Exmoor.  For example, the study estimated that a ban on hunting would put 30 FTEs in local business, 8 jobs at kennels plus private grooms jobs at risk in Exford, a parish with a total adult population of around 300.

The report by Manley et al. (1999) concludes that a ban on hunting with hounds would have the following implications for the economy of West Somerset and Exmoor:

^(i) Conclusions

• Of the 414 FTE jobs in the study area currently attributable to hunting, not all would go.  The exact and local employment position, subsequent to any ban, would depend on how and where hunting people chose to spend their money.  It is difficult to gauge the extent to which hunting people would turn to alternative activities in the event of a ban, but the survey results supported the contention that neither draghunting nor other equestrian activities were likely to be a substitute for hunting, particularly in the case of older people.  Gunpacks were considered likely to evolve but any role within local employment would be liable to be very limited.”

There has been no overall study into the indirect economic impacts of hunting on income to Exmoor from tourism and the National Park Authority would welcome such an initiative.  However, hunting is widely believed to form an important addition to the income to the local tourism industry.  Moreover, visits to Exmoor for field sports, including hunting with hounds, have the effect of extending the tourism season into the so-called ‘shoulder months’ either side of the summer visitor peak.

Set against this, from time to time the Exmoor National Park Authority receives a small number of letters and complaints from visitors who have been distressed by contact with hunting activities and would be less likely to revisit the area as a result.  An important quality in the designation of National Parks is their potential to provide opportunities for ‘quiet enjoyment’ of the countryside.  While the hunts take place they do have an adverse impact on the tranquility of the countryside but few hunts occur during the summer months when the majority of visitors come to Exmoor.

Social impacts

No survey has been undertaken into the level of participation in hunting within the overall Exmoor community.  However, the study by Manley et al. (1999) provides an indication of the high level of interest in hunting with hounds on Exmoor and West Somerset based on surveys of people on the hunt mailing lists:

^(i) Conclusions [continued]

• The recognised hunts in the study area had mailing lists totally approximately 2,000 addresses which, after allowance for overlap, translated into around 1,300 households and 3,000 individuals, the majority of whom lived in the study area.  Amongst this group, levels of participation in hunting and other activities organised by the hunts were very high.  In total, they went out hunting an estimated 67,000 times last year and spent £5.5m.  A considerable number are retired people who hunt on foot or farmers who hunt as a form of recreation which dovetails with their working lives.  We conclude that hunting plays a major role in the lives of those who are involved and, in the event of a ban would experience a deep sense of loss.
• To the broad question, are the people living and working in the study area going to notice if hunting with hounds were banned?  The answer is not clear-cut.  What is indisputable is that the after effects of a ban would be uneven in their impact.  In the less remote parts of the study area and in the lives of those for whom hunting plays no part, a ban might barely be noted.  In the small, rural communities where hunting plays a disproportionately larger role in providing employment and recreation, a ban would pose a severe challenge.”

Any visitor to Exmoor soon realises that hunting of red deer and fox hunting, as with other country sports on Exmoor, such as game shooting and fishing, are traditional pursuits enjoyed by a large number of local people and visitors.   The National Park Authority believes that these activities form an important and significant focus in the social life of Exmoor’s rural communities, particularly in the settlements of central Exmoor around the former ‘Exmoor Forest’.

For example, the three stag hunts hold meetings on around 290 days per year (Exmoor and Quantocks) result in over 68,000 people attendance and are involved in a organising a wide range of social events through the year including:

• 3 ‘Point-to-Points’ per year attended by 17,400 people
• 4 Hunter Trials – 400 attendees
• 2 sponsored cross-country rides – 250 attendees
• 8 Gymkanas and shows – 1950 attendees
• 3 Puppy shows – 1200 attendees
• 45 other social events – 2,900 attendees

The four fox hunts also organise a wide range of events in the course of a year, including:

• four race meetings and two joint race meetings
• seven local shows a
• skittles league with frequent fixtures
• nine dances
• not less than forty whist drives
• around forty additional social events or parties
• three gift sales
• three sheep schemes
• at least 150 lawn meets which are themselves social occasions where people meet and are entertained.

The importance of hunting to central Exmoor communities has been ably summarised in a letter to the Park Authority by local author Hope L. Bourne:

“Few people who live outside Exmoor can have any idea of what hunting means to Exmoor.  It is a whole way of life.  It is a tradition, sport, employment, and community all in one.  It brings together people of all walks of life, promotes the economy, creates healthy entertainment and contributes to the management of wildlife.

Not only do the various Hunts preside over the Point-to-Point races, Exford Horse Show, the Pony Clubs and numerous gymkanas and horse trials, but the Hunt Supporters Club organise whist-drives, dances, breakfasts, suppers, sales, quizzes, duck-races, barbecues –and even coffee mornings!”

Not all local people are active participants in these activities and some people feel excluded because of their views on hunting.  However, the social importance of hunting on Exmoor is significant and it is difficult to predict the degree to which the social activities surrounding the hunts will continue after any ban on hunting, or the degree to which new social ties will take their place.  Although it is clear that these activities do take place in other rural communities in England where hunting does not have the same focus for local social life.

Others have likened the social impact of a ban on hunting on Exmoor to the impact a ban on football would have on communities in Liverpool, Manchester or Newcastle.  Whilst some would be pleased, others would have a profound sense of loss and the overall impact would be impossible to fully measure.

[1] Savage (1993) The Conservation and Management of Red Deer in the West Country. The National Trust.  A report to the National Trust of its Deer Hunting Working Party.

[2] Langbein (1997) The Ranging Behaviour, Habitat use and Impact of Deer in Oak woods and Heather moors of Exmoor and the Quantock Hills. University of Southampton.  A report commissioned by The British Deer Society, The National Trust, Exmoor National Park Authority, League Against Cruel Sports, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, British Field Sports Society, Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, English Nature, Somerset County Council, Countryside Commission and International Fund for Animal Welfare.

[3] Winter et al. (1993) Economic and Social aspects of Deer Hunting on Exmoor and the Quantocks. Occasional Paper No. 20, Centre for Rural Studies, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. A report prepared for the National Trust on the economic and social importance of stag hunting.

[4] Manley et al. (1999) Economic, Social and Environmental Aspects of Hunting with Hounds in West Somerset and Exmoor. Centre for Rural Studies, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.  A report commissioned by the Rural Economy Working Group of West Somerset District Council with support from surrounding district councils, Exmoor National Park Authority, Somerset County Council, the Exmoor Society, and a number of town and parish councils.

• The Authority
• Projects
• Red Deer
• ENPA Hunting Statement
• Exmoor Pony