The appointment of the new chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group (DLUMG) has sparked an angry response from environmental campaigners.

Phil Stocker was named as the independent head of the newly formed group, which was created last year following an independent inquiry into land management on Dartmoor.

According to the government, the DLUMG’s aim is “to strike the right balance” between food production and nature conservation.

In a statement, it said Mr Stocker had been chosen for his “strong technical knowledge of farming and the environment”, citing his long experience in agriculture and land management.

Mr Stocker said: “As someone who has worked on agriculture and land management across my career, I know only too well the delicate balance between nature and food production.

“It is now my intention to bring people together to ensure that the group delivers a land use plan that reflects the evidence and will create a sustainable future for Dartmoor.”

DEFRA minister Daniel Zeichner backed Mr Stocker’s new role, saying he was “uniquely placed” to consider Dartmoor’s needs.

But the appointment has been widely criticised by environmental campaigners, who say Mr Stocker’s current role as chief of the National Sheep Association (NSA) creates a conflict of interest.

Harry Barton, chair of the Dartmoor Nature Alliance, said he was “deeply concerned” about the move.

"We do not question the integrity of Mr Stocker himself. But, given Mr Stocker's position as Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association and the myriad issues Dartmoor's protected sites face from overgrazing (especially by sheep) and insensitive farming, we have limited confidence that his appointment will lead to fair decision-making on Dartmoor or one that will enable disputes on the Dartmoor Commons to be resolved satisfactorily.

"It will lead to a situation of greater conflict and further declines in nature. This is not in the interests of Dartmoor, its communities, the 2.3 million annual visitors, or the UK's efforts to tackle the crises facing climate and nature,” he said.

Writer and well-known activist George Monbiot went further, saying on X (formerly Twitter): “Even the Tories wouldn't have done this. The major ecological problem on Dartmoor is sheep grazing, and the associated burning and deforestation.

“It's like appointing the chief executive of Exxon as head of the Climate Change Committee. A breath-taking conflict of interest.”

Environmental campaigner Miles King added: “It's utterly farcical that the leading lobbyist for sheep farming in the UK has been chosen to chair the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group.

“This has killed stone dead any credibility the group might have had in terms of setting the agenda for the future of nature on Dartmoor.”

The creation of the DLUMG was a key proposal made by the Dartmoor Independent Review in December 2023, which was made up of a panel of eight people, including academics and ecologists.

The review said “commoning and pastoralism have an important part to play” in solving the Park’s problems, such as the “alarming decline in biodiversity” and the challenges faced by farmers, adding that Dartmoor “needs to be grazed”.