A Response to some of the points raised at the Parish Meeting

Malcolm New

• Immediate action is required including a cull of the 'problem' goats.  - Who is to decide which are the problem goats and how will they know? 
• Compensation is required for those people badly affected by the goats. - Those living in the wonderful wildness of Exmoor should take the responsibility of protecting their property with fences and/or walls.  However, it should not be possible for goats or other animals assigned to the Valley of Rocks to escape into the village (or traverse the fence)
• The problem will become worse during the summer period. - Why should it?
• The goats had been introduced into the Valley by the Friends of the Goats and were not actually a native species. - They were not introduced by FOG. If they were a totally native species would they be less trouble?
• There was a danger of harm to visitors and locals from the goats. - Untrue
• The goats had become used to the human population and were now 'facing up' to people.  - They are less timid because they thought they had friends - they are likely to  be disillusioned.
•  The goats eating floral tributes on the graves of relatives was causing great distress. - It is doubtful whether the goats are the main source of damage.
• There were too many Billies in the Valley and they were debarking trees which would cause these trees to die.  - Most of the trees are outside the grazing area which is one of the problems.
•  The Town Council should be allowed to manage the goats and reduce the number without interference from outside.  - No one from outside has interfered with the management of the goats. In a free society however, people from anywhere are entitled to express an opinion and we are entitled to disregard it.
• The Friends of the Goats have no management policy and this had lead to there being too many big old Billies.  - Are the old billies the problem? Is it not the young billies who wander and fertilize the nannies?  In any case it is immaterial whether the FOG has a management policy or not because it has no power to implement or opportunity to suggest one.