The NFU was attacked by environmental activist Chris Packham after describing the highlands in England as “dying” and claiming that sheep were “destroying” Dartmoor National Park.
In a strong language article by The Guardian, Packham wrote:
“Through a vast area of some of our most beautiful landscapes, life is rapidly fading. If there was a life of purple heathers, bilberries and bustling insects, now there is an ecological disaster zone with grazing and sheep.
In response, Matt Cole, a farmer at Dartmoor Hill and chairman of NFU Upland South, promoted a passionate letter to the paper, stating that he “cannot disagree any more” in his portrayal of the landscape he works every day.
“After I looked after the sheep and cattle at Dartmoor Hill Farm, looking out over the Spanish moss in full bloom, and Heather began to turn imposing purple, I could not have more disagree with Chris Packham’s views on the land,” Cole wrote.
He challenged Packham’s proposal that highland agriculture is harmful to biodiversity and that livestock density is modest. This is 0.3 animals per hectare including pony during the summer.
Far from being barren, he argued that these landscapes are biodiversity environments shaped and maintained by agriculture generations.
Cole also challenged the claim that Upland farms are not contributing to food security, highlighting that around 40% of England’s breeding sheep are stored in high altitudes. “They are important contributions, especially as we face global uncertainty,” he said.
He continued his detailed and collaborative efforts through the Dartmoor Landscape Management Group, citing his own refurbishment of the 500-acre Moorland. Not as a “box-like exercise,” but as a real investment in environmental recovery and long-term public value.
Cole pointed to NFU’s newly released vision for Auplands, acknowledging the need for change.
He highlighted the need for agricultural environment schemes that reward public goods provided by highland farmers, such as biodiversity, carbon storage and cultural heritage.
This article is because the NFU continues to engage with government ministers and highlights the value of highland agriculture on UK food production, biodiversity and rural heritage.
NFU vice president David Eckwood also criticized Pacham’s comments, calling them “a deeply misleading photograph of highland agriculture.”
“Highland farmers play an important role in supporting food security, increasing biodiversity and maintaining rural communities,” Exwood said. “Livestock grazing has shaped and maintained these landscapes for generations.”
He added that the NFU’s upland strategy reveals how such farms support the environment, food systems and the rural economy.
“We will work with our stakeholders to promote this positive, evidence-based view and challenge an outdated story like Packham’s,” he said.
