Welcome
Discover the real New Forest – an incredible living, working landscape, shaped over centuries by the animals that graze it, and the people who own and care for them – the “commoners”: Ordinary people, with ordinary jobs, but with an extraordinary commitment. If you want reliable, straightforward answers to your questions about the New Forest and prefer fact over folklore then this is the site for you. Please do explore. We’ve included more information than ever before.
If you know what you’re looking for then do use the Search button above to go straight to the right place. You can also support us by applying to join the NFCDA. You don’t need to be a commoner to join as an Associate member.
Explore what we do
About Commoning
About the New Forest Commoners Defence Association
Commoning year
October
Winter preparations are well underway, with some animals starting to be brought back in to back-up land and the October foal sale is held at Beaulieu Road
Latest News
NFCDA response to the New Forest National Park Draft Partnership Plan
28th September 2021
ℹ️ The NFCDA Committee have responded to the New Forest National Park consultation on their emerging Partnership Plan. We hope that the feedback we have provided is ... READ MORE
Helping to spread key messages !
23rd July 2021
Great to see the new #keepyourdistance signs up and in action :-) You asked… so we listened! This has been fantastic a joint initiative, with funding from the Verderers and ... READ MORE
New support for the New Forest Commoning Community
21st March 2021
In a new initiative championed by ExxonMobil Fawley, some of their land on the edge of the New Forest, has been rented to to young commoners at a reduced rate. The full press ... READ MORE
NFCDA response to the consultation on the allocation of land on the New Forest Common for the Basic Payment Scheme
30th January 2021
Final NF BPS Consultation Jan21 READ MORE
ELM and Commons: What does the Future Hold?
9th December 2020
Commoners are welcome to sign up for a free one-hour session on ELM, hosted by the Foundation for Common Land and Federation of Cumbrian Commoners. The webinar will ... READ MORE
Consultation on the allocation of land on the New Forest common for the Basic Payment Scheme
30th November 2020
Background Up until 2005 subsidies were related to agricultural production, in the case of cattle this was paid through Suckler Cow Premium and Beef Special Premium for ... READ MORE
The New Forest code
29th July 2020
The Commoners Defence Association has come together with New Forest organisations to launch a new code to help protect our landscape, livestock and wildlife. The New Forest ... READ MORE
Securing our history & heritage
10th July 2020
Fascinating accounts of commoning life have been brought together in a new collection of memories and photographs. Through Our Ancestors’ Eyes features the stories of 20 ... READ MORE
Our Unprotected Landscape
18th May 2020
We’ve all learnt a lot from the coronavirus lockdown. The extent to which people will voluntarily help complete strangers in a time of need has been hugely reassuring when there ... READ MORE
“Don’t delay!” CDA message to ministers
15th May 2020
This week the Agriculture Bill gave MPs their first taste of online voting for a major piece of legislation on 13th May. It sailed through, despite much debate over a future trade ... READ MORE
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