DEAD New Forest ponies could be left to rot in front of tourists if their owners are barred from joining a major new scheme.

The grim warning has been issued by the Forest's two MPs, who are furious at plans to exclude horses from a livestock collection service.

The groundbreaking scheme is due to be launched by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs later this year.

Carcasses will be taken away by the National Fallen Stock Company following new EU rules that ban farmers from burning or burying dead beasts.

However, the service is restricted to farm animals and excludes the hundreds of ponies that roam the Forest.

Dead animals are currently collected by the New Forest Hounds, but the service could cease if the government decides to ban hunting with hounds.

Now New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis and Desmond Swayne, who represents New Forest West, have written to animal health minister Ben Bradshaw.

The letter says: "Each year an average of over 100 animals die on Forest roads as a result of road traffic accidents and about 80 more are found dead from natural causes.

"This is a huge burden for commoners to cope with.

"Without a free or subsidised collection, there is a danger that some may be tempted to remove the brands and let the carcasses lie. This would have obvious implications for health and tourism.''

The letter says the ponies perform a vital role by grazing the Forest all-year-round and preventing from turning it into a wilderness. It adds: "The whole Forest is treated as a farm for the purposes of the recently-signed Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreement with the Verderers.

"The scheme treats the Verderers as the farmers of the Forest and we maintain that something similar can be done in respect of fallen stock.''

The issue was raised at the Court of Verderers, which administers the commoning system.

Official Verderer Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre said the group would seek a meeting with Mr Bradshaw if he ignored the arguments made in the letter.

Mike Cooper, former chairman of the Commoners' Defence Association, is hopeful a solution will be found.

"I'd like to think that common sense will prevail and the scheme will be extended to include New Forest ponies,'' said Mr Cooper.