January

The admin year begins (again)…

Marking fees must be paid for any animals that will be grazing the Forest. In 2018 this was £24 per animal. When the fees are paid for cattle their ears will be tagged by the agister for each commoner’s area. TB testing of cattle takes place – this is particularly important for common land where herds graze together. Commoners have different practices according to the location of their holding and the specific needs of their cattle. Many will come in daily for extra feeding, others will be fed on the Open Forests following routes and using locations set out by Natural England and the Verderers. Most pure-bred New Forest ponies are quite capable of thriving on what the New Forest provides for them.