About Commoning

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About Commoning

About Commoning

The commoning community are a vibrant and diverse community of people who come from all walks of life. Individually they have rights to turn ponies, cattle, pigs, donkeys and sheep out to graze and browse the New Forest’s woodlands, heathlands and lawns. Together the commoners and their animals have shaped the New Forest for generations. There are five Forest Rights:

Pasture
Mast
Estovers
Turbary
Marl

Commoning year

March

First signs of Spring, but still working in the dark

THE
FOREST

COMMONERS

ANIMALS

YOU & THE
FOREST

Latest News

Forestry England Property to rent for active commoners

3rd February 2021

Following Ministerial Approval of the New Forest Housing Review earlier this year we are delighted to confirm that the first letting of vacant properties is now ... 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

Job opportunity: trial facilitator

2nd December 2020

DEFRA ELMS Test and Trial – A Commons Delivery Model • Do you have a good understanding of Commoning, farm support schemes and rural issues in the New Forest? • Are you a ... 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

How do commoners catch their ponies?

18th November 2020

By Lyndsey Stride Whilst all the ponies on the New Forest are owned, most are unhandled and cannot be easily caught. Commoners are highly skilled in handling these semi-feral ... READ MORE

New Forest code July 2020

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

Driving Dalgetty's cattle through Fordingbridge. © Peter Harrison

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

Parking erosion of SSSI in Lockdown

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