A FAMOUS group of wild ponies that roam a British moorland face being shot because of bureaucratic red tape, it was warned today.

Farmer Nigel Floyd, 64, said he and others could be forced to cull their Exmoor ponies due to increasing delays in getting them a passport that verifies their breed.

Nigel has been a farmer on Exmoor his entire life and has a quota to keep 70 of the ponies on his 6,000 acres of land.

This year he said 12 extra new foals were born by his mares but he is struggling to sell them - and he blames the Exmoor Pony Society for failing to provide documentation on time.

And he said unless new buyers can be found by next week he would have no option but to have his excess ponies culled.

The Exmoor Pony Society is responsible for branding each mare and keeping records of each foal.

This way the lineage of the breed is documented, and each pony can be shown, via its passport, to be a genuine Exmoor pony.

Somerset County Gazette:

Nigel said: "Three months ago we had them inspected and passed and we're still waiting for the passports to arrive.

"From my point of view, I'm the farmer - I've got to get the ponies in and hold them.

"The Exmoor Pony Society have to come in and brand them, all I have to do is hold them, I don't do anything.

"They won't get themselves sorted and get the records straight.

"The society is responsible for keeping the records, they brand them, I don't brand them.

"What's happened in the past 10 years is they're not doing it right because they are scared of hurting the ponies and that means we can't read it two weeks later.

"Now when a mare comes in they can't read the branding and you can't get anything right when they make the first mistake.

"I had 12 last week, they will be going next week one way or the other because we've got an agreement for 70 on the common and we can't keep more.

"I can't keep them in the field, the expense would come into it as well.

"Someone rang up for one last night so hopefully that will be one going down the right road.

"They will either be sold in the horse box or destroyed.

"Someone wanted four in October but they've gone off the boil now."

Somerset County Gazette:

Nigel believes more should be done to help farmers look after Exmoor ponies.

He continued: "It's a native breed to Exmoor. I'm native to Exmoor and the ponies are too.

"Hopefully we can look after them for future generations.

"We've had to put down so many over the years, it's got to stop.

"They are an endangered species and farmers should be encouraged, I think."

The Exmoor Pony Society insists the process of registering the ponies is agreed upon by members, and takes a reasonable amount of time.

A spokesman said: "The registration of foals into the Exmoor Pony Society studbook is voluntary – breeders can obtain passports for their ponies and foals from other Passport Issuing Offices.

"However, if they wish to have a pony registered into the Exmoor Pony Society studbook, they must comply with the society rules which are voted upon and agreed by the membership at a general meeting.

"The Exmoor Pony Society studbook like any other studbook is the official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known.

"The Society which is a DEFRA approved Passport Issuing Office provides passports for each recorded animal listing its ancestors.

"This is in line with EU/DEFRA legislation which states all ponies whose parents are/were registered in the main section of the studbook are eligible themselves to be included in the main section of the studbook."