Sheep Fallout

Natural England, the Peak National Park Authority and the various conservation industry institutions join with sheep farming interests to discourage dog walking in the Eastern Moors and generally across the uplands of Britain. Sheep farmers of course don't like dogs, other peoples' dogs that is. Extravagant claims have been made for the biodiversity and landscape values of sheep grazing though in more recent years these have been muted among sections of the conservation lobby who have tended to prefer cattle as supposedly beneficial herbivores (while shooting those entirely natural herbivores, wild deer!)

I've sometimes wondered what an entirely independent and impartial study would make of these supposed benefits compared to a situation where all farm animals were to be withdrawn and dog walkers were no longer discouraged. What would the land look like after a few years of this? I've already posted a photo comparison taken during just one year but that was short term. Nobody from the wildlife trust has tried to answer this nor produce for a sceptical public any detailed report showing the ecological or landscape benefits displayed by their grazing management over more than ten years.

This blog has consistently supported the rights of people to walk with their dogs on Blacka which is designated recreation land. That's not without occasional reservations regarding certain individuals but those isolated incidents have to be set against the institutional damage done by self-interested and sometimes self-righteous officialdom.

Let's look at some of that damage done by those in managerial capacity here.The walling and fencing across what was previously a fairly open landscape has been on a scale more like fortification than boundaries. And done badly with discarded materials left around that could easily harm wildlife.

This coil of wire still remains. There was a lot more some of which was eventually cleared away after complaints but only months later. It's obvious that the standard here is what we might expect to see on some of the more carelessly managed farmland of which there is plenty in the national park. 

The bridleway traversing the sheep enclosure inevitably gets used by farm vehicles but other tracks have appeared with no right of way status of which this is the most notable, one I warned was developing many years ago; needless to say I was ignored.

This is in addition to the relentless cropping of the sheep themselves which deals with almost all wildflowers that would grow here. In fairness I did find one or two harebells this time and even one hare running off, not bad for 80 acres of a nature reserve. The other things that seem to grow beyond sheep cropping level are rushes in the wettest parts, some coarser grasses they will be grateful for in winter and thistles.

As the wildlife trust have taken against wildflowers here it's hardly a surprise that the one flowering plant that has survived the depredations of sheep is now being targeted by weedkiller. Not to go further than just mention the encouragement of their partners in the RSPB/NT in shooting red deer (they have the cheek to complain when a dog chases deer), nor the lovely cow defecation around the gates and on paths, nor the destruction of native trees.

When all this is added together where does the potential damage of a dog walker stand on a site set aside for public recreation, or the very occasional use of the land by silent model glider enthusiasts?