Another reaction to the feasibility report

Copy of a letter highlighting concerns

I have recently retired from farming and keeping horses and ponies for 50 years. I have been an active member of the British Horse Society and an Area Commissioner for the British Driving Society, Meirionydd area, and these are my comments on the feasibility of grazing animals on Bryn Euryn.
Grazing is successful on Anglesey, but there is no comparison between the areas on Anglesey and Bryn Euryn. Holyhead Breakwater Park is approx. 1,000 acres, and the majority of the users are concentrated around the visitor centre, shop and boating lake. The ponies are on the open moorland and have about 50 acres to graze. Ponies are also grazed above Trearddur Bay, but are fenced onto the land around the land owners’ house away from the public footpath, with sheep netting which is dog-proof. Ponies are also used in Newborough Forest, but yet again not in contact with Forest Users.
Bryn Euryn would be two small paddocks with unlimited public access and plain wire fencing. While the majority of dog walkers are responsible, there are a lot of people who have no control over their dogs and let them run wild. Responsible owners do not need a course on controlling their dogs and the others would not bother – so courses would be a waste of time and money.
Also signs would be a further eyesore and expense, and would be ignored as are the signs which say - No Camping – No litter – No fires and Bag and Bin dog mess. As to reporting incidents to the warden, that’s a joke. From personal experience, at 4.30pm he’s gone home, we’ll tell him in the morning. Surely his hours should be flexible to cover evenings and weekends when common sense dictates that’s when incidents happen.
No responsible owner would put their animals into such an unsuitable environment and public liability Insurance would be difficult to obtain. Putting animals onto small paddocks, out of sight, away from the owners home, with unlimited public access, dogs running free, no warden cover and a history of vandalism and anti social behaviour, especially as the owner is looking for members of the public to look out for them, to save them the bother of daily visits. The Carneddan Herd were applying to be exempt from having passports for their ‘wild ponies’ to be in line with Exmoor and Dartmoor etc. If they were successful in this campaign, their ponies would have no passports or microchips, which would make it illegal to move them from their home ground – which in itself would invalidate any insurance, and if they want to use the grazing they should transport them at their own cost.
According to information from the CCW, the cost of strimming is £1,500 of which they pay half, NOT the £3000 which you claim the Council pay.
The paddocks would NOT support 5 ponies for 4months. September – December, as well as supplementary feeding, they would require extra minerals to prevent them killing trees by stripping the bark, to provide them with the extras they need to change their coats from summer to winter. Unless droppings are cleared from small paddocks they soon become sick and sour, weeds take over and the horses suffer from worms. The paddocks are too small for the ponies to keep themselves out of harm’s way, in fact it makes them easier prey for dogs or vandals to chase. If chased by dogs, ponies will often retaliate by chasing and striking out with their forelegs and kicking.
If you insist on carrying on with this hare-brained scheme, in wasting tens of thousands of pounds of Public Money against public wishes, when the cry is there is not enough funding for essential services, then you obviously have no need of further Council Tax from me, and if any animal is put into a potentially dangerous situation, I will contact all animal welfare organisations on a daily basis until they are removed to a place of safety, hopefully before a tragedy happens. Feel free to contact me about any points I have raised.
Yours sincerelyMrs S