Conservation charity – Friends of the New Forest – have launched a survey to monitor and record breaches in the New Forest byelaws and are calling on volunteers to help collect data.

The byelaws are legal requirements that aim to conserve the New Forest, preserve its tranquility and regulate recreational use, by prohibiting certain activities such as wild camping, lighting fires, verge parking and feeding livestock such as ponies and donkeys.

Forestry England, the National Trust and the Verderers of the New Forest all issue byelaws and can enforce them.  However, trustees of the charity say that few people using the New Forest know what the byelaws are, which means they are consequently overlooked or ignored and that a clear strategy for publicising or enforcing them is absent.

John Ward, Chairman of Friends of the New Forest, said:

“The byelaws are similar to a code of conduct but with enforceable legal powers that may lead to a fine and, in some cases, risk imprisonment.  We conducted a pilot survey in October last year that recorded almost 3,000 breaches in the New Forest byelaws, but we believe that this was just the tip of the iceberg. We need to run the survey again, gather more data, raise awareness of the byelaws and support effective measures to protect the Forest against those activities causing most concern”.

Charlotte Lines, Chair of the New Forest Commoners Defence Association, showed support for the survey and said:

“This initiative will help to demonstrate the scale of activities that cause our members concern, particularly the feeding and petting of ponies and donkeys, the increase in out-of-control dogs worrying our cattle and dangerous or irresponsible parking in front of barriers and gates. Any scheme that will provide a robust and credible evidence base which can be used to help us protect and safeguard commoning and our free-roaming animals is welcome.’”

The byelaws survey will run until the end of August and volunteers are being asked to complete a survey form available from the Friends of the New Forest website – www.newforestassociation.org, while out and about as part of their regular routine.

 ENDS.

Information for Editors:

The Friends of the New Forest (New Forest Association) is one of the world’s oldest conservation charities. Formed in 1867, the charity was created to protect and restore the unique character of the New Forest. Our members promoted the 1877 New Forest Act to secure its future and now we are the voice for the New Forest National Park – its friend and watchdog.

Registered Charity no: 260328 – www.friendsofthenewforest.org

Please refer to:

• Forestry Commission Byelaws: https://www.forestryengland.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Forestry%20Commission_Byelaws.pdf
• New Forest Verderers Byelaws: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/993/contents/made
• National Trust (New Forest): https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/documents/the-national-trust-byelaws-1965.pdf

For more information, interviews, or images please contact:

Gale Pettifer (Vice Chair) – media@friendsofthenewforest.org

Sarah Nield (Hon. Sec) – secretary@friendsofthenewforest.org

Ben Hanlan, of East Grange Drive in Leeds, was convicted after the Volkswagen Polo he was driving collided with a foal nearby to Beaulieu Road between midnight on Friday 27 August and 3.30am on Saturday 28 August 2021.  He has been disqualified from driving for a period of six months and ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Mr Hanlan fled the scene and failed to report the incident, telling the court he thought he had hit a deer at the time but had failed to stop to determine the facts.

The injured pony was located by a local a Agister the following day, found to have suffered two broken front legs as a result of the accident. It is then thought that the pony continued to wander for several hours on the stumps of her bones before succumbing to her injuries.

The pony was humanely dispatched of as a result.

PC Matt Thelwell, Wildlife and Rural Crime Officer, said:

“Sadly, this is an incident which was wholly avoidable, but resulted in a foal having to be euthanised due to the severity of its injuries. The driver is lucky that in this situation, he did not suffer serious injuries himself, or worse, but that could have been a real possibility in a different scenario.

“Driving above the speed limit, especially during hours of darkness, can have devastating consequences. Sadly, there have been a number of high-profile animal deaths on New Forest roads over the last 18 months; but these needn’t have happened if motorists been travelling within the speed limit or driving appropriately for the conditions.

“This conviction hopefully sends out a stark message about the importance of driving safely, and within the law, across New Forest roads, but also that no one is above the law. Failure to report a road traffic incident or accident is a criminal offence, and this shows, that we will always seek to identify those responsible and put them in front of the courts so that justice can be served.

“We will continue to work with key partners including New Forest National Park Authority, Forestry England and Commoners Defence Association to raise awareness of animals killed by collisions in the New Forest area and improve safety.”

The NFCDA made two presentments at the April 2022 Verderers Court.

Nomansland Presentment

The first was presented by Andrew Parry-Norton, expressing our concern over a recent driveway replacement in Nomansland. The new driveway is significantly larger than the previous and was placed on virgin forest ground. The area where the old driveway sat has since been covered in imported soil.

The NFCDA also believe that work commenced prior to any agreement with Forestry England.

The full presentment can be found here Nomansland Presentment

Burley Tree Planting

The second presentment was made by Mike Eccles regarding Burley Parish Council’s request to plant 12 trees marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The NFCDA believe that the area marked for planting is not suitable and that a more appropriate gesture can be made as part of the celebration.

Mike’s full presentment can be read here Burley Presentment

In May 2018 the Government asked for an independent review into whether the protections for National Parks and AONBs are still fit for purpose. In particular, what might be done better, what changes will help and whether the definitions and systems in place are still valid.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-landscapes-national-parks-and-aonbs-2018-review

The review’s final report was published on 21 September 2019.

The Government have now responded to that review. Implementing some aspects of the Government’s response to the review will require changes to legislation, subject to securing parliamentary time.

The Government are seeking public views on support for these proposed legislative changes, and their potential effects on different groups and interests. They are also interested to hear any wider views on other aspects of their response to the review.

Your Committee will be responding to the Governments response.  Should you want to contribute please send your comments to charlotte@realnewforest.org by the 28th of March.

the response  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/landscapes-review-national-parks-and-aonbs-government-response

We have objected to an application to record three byways in the parish of Ringwood. The application was based on three sites:

• Bagnum Lane SU1734 0272 to Kingston Great Common
• SU1730 0210 to Kingston Great Common
• Kingston Great Common from SU1832 0265 to Charles Lane
  SU1816 0377

Our objection to this application is based on the
following grounds:

• Kingston Great Common is a Nature Reserve and designated SSSI, as such it needs to be
  given protection.
• There is already open access for walkers and horse riders to Kingston Great Common
  negating the need for the proposed restricted byway.
• A restricted byway could be upgraded in the future.
•  To record it as a Right of Way would mean it would be published on a map which may
  increase the footfall in a sensitive area.
• Current visitors come to appreciate an area defined as a Nature Reserve, folk pursuing
  byways on a map may not have the same care of the environment or wildlife,
• There is a curlew nesting site close by, its success completely dependent on the lack of
  disturbance.

On top of these grounds we also found from a site visit on 10th February 2022 that the area did not support constant and continued use. The grass ride at the far end of Great Kingston Common showed little if any disturbance and the gate leading to the private land and Park Hill (marked on the map as a proposed restricted byway from Sandford SU1730 0210) was locked with a rusty padlock that showed little sign of opening. Similarly, the gate leading to Bagnum Lane SU1734 0272 (marked on the map as a proposed restricted byway) was locked and showed little sign of being used.

As part of the investigation for granting this application, it is paramount that a Natural England Habitat Risk Assessment be carried out to gage the impact these restricted byways would have on
this vulnerable area.

We now await an update on the matter.

Applications are now open for two new roles as landscape recovery test and trial facilitators.

The roles are located in The New Forest and The Malverns.

Salary – : £36,000 pro rata (£21600 FTE)

Hours 0.6 FTE (Equivalent to three days)

Applications close on the 18th of February

Click here for the job description.

Alternatively visit the Foundations for Common Land’s website – Here .

One of the New Forest’s most infamous roads for animal accidents (Roger Penny Way), has been given the go-ahead to trial off-road salt licks in a bid to help grazing animals away from the road.

During the colder months, animals (ponies, donkeys and cattle) are drawn to the road by salt and grit spreading, where they then lick the salt off the road surface.

It is hoped that this trial will keep animals off and away from the road by providing a safer alternative in a more natural habitat.

The new salt licks being delivered and put into place

The new salt licks are placed approximately 135 meters back from the road in open-top containers. The salt itself is in big lumps to ensure it doesn’t spill onto the ground. Once the weather improves, the containers will be removed.

Although the new salt licks may draw some animals away from the road, many will still be near to or on roads across the forest. These animals have right of way on the roads.

Bill Howells who instigated this initiative (New Forest commoner and NFCDA committee member) had this to say:

“I would like to thank all the relevant organisations who have given us consent to trial the salt licks, hopefully it will make a difference to animal behaviour and accident numbers.”

Even with new measures in place, we still ask all drivers in the forest to drive to the conditions, expect the unexpected and prepare to stop

If you do have an accident involving a pony, cow, donkey, pig or sheep you are required by law to report it to the police by ringing 999 as soon as possible.

Last summer, Commoner Tom Gould turned 38 cattle out to graze on the New Forest. The majority of those at the time were in calf. By the Autumn, when the cattle were taken back to the farm, 19 of those calves had been aborted.

The cattle that had aborted were all carrying Neospora, a bovine parasite that can be found in dog excrement. This parasite can survive in the soil for weeks if dog poo is not picked up immediately.

The cattle that were grazing at Longslade and Wilverley became infected after ingesting contaminated soil and grass as a result of dog faeces left on the ground.

Tom was breeding to sustain bloodlines in his herd, as well as providing a sustainable approach to farming, something that he now claims presents a great challenge to him.

Mr Gould said:

“There is a shortage of replacement animals, you cannot just buy more cattle and turn them out, they have to be born and raised here. I am aiming towards carbon negative farming, something those cattle were helping me towards”

The presence of the parasite means that cows are much more likely to abort their calf and any future pregnancies.

David Coombes from Cedar Farm Practice (the veterinaries that deal with Mr Gould’s cattle) said:

“Statistically Neospora carriers are eight times more likely to abort, however in my experience this is a very conservative figure and it is usually much higher. In addition, if a Neospora carrier does make it through to calving, that calf will almost certainly be a carrier in turn. If it destined to be a breeding heifer, then it is a real problem! You can see how easy it is to keep breeding Neospora along family lines within a herd.”

New Forest Commoners work tirelessly to make the area a better place for all, however incidents like this are entirely avoidable and not only provide financial complications but also make their job harder.

It is important to note that the Neospora parasite seemingly has no effect on dogs, so you may be unaware your dog is a carrier.

We cannot enjoy the forest as we do without the work of the commoners so we would like to remind everyone to please follow the New Forest Code, pick up after your dogs and take the bags home!

Contact details: comms@realnewforest.org

The New Forest Livestock Society (NFLS) have confirmed their provisional dates for the 2022 sales to be held at Beaulieu Road Sale Yard.

The dates are as follows:

• Wednesday 1st June
• Thursday 22nd September
• Thursday 27th October
• Thursday 1st December

The NFLS have stated however that these dates could be subject to change to comply with any new government legislation or changes in regulations to ensure compliance and a safe sale premises.

Dates are also subject to the reinstatement works at the sale yard being complete.

For more information click here to visit the New Forest Livestock Society website.

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 cover:

• Latest Updates on ELM and Common Land – what is Defra saying about ELM & how it affects Common Land?
• The transitional arrangements – current schemes, pilots and the SFI
• Help Shape the Future – Defra Test & Trial on Commons FCL and Federation of Cumbria Commoners are working with the Defra Family and Commoners on eight sites to test and trial a delivery model for ELM. Hear how they are progressing.

Speakers will include Julia Aglionby (FCL), Viv Lewis (FCC) and Joanna Swiers (FCL) and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

Monday 14th December 2020
7.30 – 8.30pm via Zoom
All Welcome: To Register for a free place go to Webinar Registration – Zoom