The grazing history of Molland Moor was established through discussion with local, retired farmers whose personal memories went back to the early 1950s.
The moor was more heavily stocked in the past, with up to 3,000 sheep being turned out in July and August.
Before the project, under the terms of an agreement with Natural England, winter grazing by sheep was allowed (1 ewe/ha) but winter grazing by cattle was not permitted. Exmoor ponies and Red deer grazed the moor all year.
Through the project, traditional, hill livestock – predominantly Black Galloway cattle and Welsh Mountain sheep – were introduced and 60 head of cattle were allowed to remain on the moor during the winter.
The swaling (burning) programme across the moor has served to spread the grazing pressure and avoid some local over-grazing problems, although there are still some areas where over-grazing but also under-grazing is apparent.
Table 1 - Grazing Levels
The cattle tested positive for Bovine TB in the final year of the project and this prevented any sales of stock for 12 months.
Supplementary feeding was given to the cattle over the winter months to supplement their diet, but also to move then around the moor to prevent localised over-grazing, and encourage them to graze areas where they provided benefit.
Conclusions
The cattle and sheep have thrived on Molland Moor.
The output from the livestock enterprises has not been as high as from other systems but in compensation the inputs have reduced.
Indications at the end of the project are that the production of the livestock enterprises is equivalent to ‘Less Favoured Area Sheep and Beef’ farms
Further Information
The Graze the Moor Project Final Report – sections 12-15.
Full grazing records, and summary charts are available in the Project Report Folder.
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