The danger of cows to walkers.

I always avoid fields with cows because they can be dangerous. I see no reason why footpaths cannot be fenced as no planning consent is needed but if course it's expensive for the farmer: perhaps there should be grants from government for it. Nor do I see why footpaths should not be diverted (I know some walkers have an ideological objection) but this requires an Order and is not simply a matter for the farmer acting alone.

Kartush, yes, sadly - some people really do wander about (often with dogs off lead) totally unaware of their surroundings and any potential danger.

Do you walk through industrial, building sites, some of which are in beautiful scenic areas.

Why shouldn’t you, 4allweknow, if there’s a public right of way?
Any building contractor would be obliged by the terms of their contract for health and safety reasons to provide a footpath diversion.

In answer to what makes cattle attack, many things do, but mostly fear, fear of an unknown object acting in a way they do not understand. Some cattle will attack if they feel trapped, and to a cow feeling trapped can mean having an unknown object between them and where they are used to going.
I realise that there are authorised walking trails that go through rural property but really people, use common sense, if a walking trail lead to a dead end cliff would you walk over it just because it was authorised. Pick a walk that does not go through fields or find out if they are occupied or do you all just wander around willy nilly without knowing your surroundings?

I used to walk my DC to the local village school on the footpath through a farmer’s field. As one person said I was unaware cows could be dangerous. The toddler used to wave arms and shoo them off if they were standing on the footpath. There were only about 10 of them and very placid, the bull in the farmyard though was a different beast entirely and was never near a public right of way. We sometimes had encounters with so-called ‘friendly’ dogs off the lead and their irresponsible owners but never with cattle.

Longhorn cattle graze at a number of locations in Epping Forest where we love to walk. They are 'employed' to improve the biodiversity of the forest. They are gentle creatures, even timid and I have never thought to be afraid when we've come across them, even with a dog in tow. Invisible fencing technology is used to keep them within their designated areas.

I was bought up in the countryside and I would never walk in a field where there are cows.

As a walker living in North Yorkshire I am aware of several local cases of cows trampling walkers. I won't go in a field with cows unless accompanied by several brave men!

It's illegal to have a dairy breed eg Friesian bull in a field with a footpath unless iits fenced off Dairy bulls are more aggressive than beef bulls but I've had a horrid experience with a charolais/ limousin bull on my own farm moving him with our dairy cows. Basically my husband managed to whack him on the rump when the bull had me cornered by a fence , heavily pregnant and unable to climb it, so the bull jumped round but my husband kept behind him and whacked him all the way back to yard..I've never helped move bulls again since that episode over 30 years ago. I sat on the ground and cried. I could have lost my baby..

Why should fields used for cattle have paths in them? Divert paths, why are they in fields? If you want to explore then you take the risk. Do you walk through industrial, building sites, some of which are in beautiful scenic areas. No, these are usually fenced off for security and safety. Why tramp through a field which is usually fenced and used by cattle, they are not pets, not expected in any law to be trained to avoid humans. Surely its humans who should avoid these animals. Stop wandering through those areas.

I'm a cattle farmer and I do what you do if walking with my dogs, cowswith calves do not like feeling threatened by the presence of 'wolves' ..also where cows are put to graze is to do with the grass available and the water supply for the cattle,and some fields shut off for hay or silage ' resting' the ground etc.. and some farms like ours have so many Footpaths that there's hardly a field to put cattle in where they won't be disturbed..Carry a stick, keep as far as possible from the cattle, and take a diversion, I never tell people off for walking off the footpath if they are avoiding cattle, they are being sensible

I'm a farmer's daughter and happily walked past all sorts of livestock when I was growing up and on public footpaths when we lived in Devon. My father did warm me though to avoid cows with a calf and of course bulls. I've never been frightened of cows,or had an incident, but would be careful to check out if any calves or a bull.

There is a public footpath beside our local river, that follows the river from the sea right into the Sussex Weald.

We met a chap last year after not seeing him for absolutely ages, and he told us that he’d been attacked by a number of cows and was recovering from broken ribs and collar bone. He had sued the farmer. Not sure if he succeeded.

Coco51. Quite!

If there is a public footpath on farm land the farmer is responsible for making sure there are no dangerous animals in the field. Cows are at their most dangerous when they have calves so, strictly speaking should not be in a field where there is a public footpath.

I read that sharks kill about six people a year - and so do cows.

The woman did have a dog with her which was killed. She had over 30 breaks to her ribs and is still in constant pain

Cows with calves can be lethal, perhaps especially if you have dog attached to you by a lead. Even bullocks can be unpleasant. I once had to let my GSDs off their leads to look after themselves as a herd of bullocks were becoming uncomfortably near to the dogs on leads.

In that same field there was an electric fence to contain the bullocks but the farmer had not maintained it and was invisible trailing in long grass and it gave my dog a shock.

Germanshepherdsmum

*Maizie*, the right to use a public footpath which is shown on the Definitive Map maintained by the local highway authority is not lost if it’s not continually exercised. That’s an excuse trotted out by ramblers. I used to work in the legal department of a highway authority so know a bit about this.

They should still be legally diverted.

Footpaths get overgrown, over sown, ploughed out. Pesky Ramblers for trying to make sure they are kept own.

Although I was born and bred in Devon, so am used to lots of cows, I am slightly scared of them and would never dream of walking near them. It makes perfect sense to take a big detour around them, imho.

MaizieD, of course I know that public footpaths run through fields of cattle. What amazes me - is the complete ignorance of people using them, often accompanied by dogs. We should be wary of any large animal, surely, and allow them space?

At my primary school, we shared our vast playground green with free-ranging cattle. There was never an incident.

Maizie, the right to use a public footpath which is shown on the Definitive Map maintained by the local highway authority is not lost if it’s not continually exercised. That’s an excuse trotted out by ramblers. I used to work in the legal department of a highway authority so know a bit about this.

It’s not a criminal offence, it’s a civil matter. I should have explained myself more clearly. I was not advocating just walking through another field but using another public right of way.

'that's not a criminal offence' - too many fingers on the wrong keys!!

The problem, Germanshepherdsmum is that a public footpath is a right of way. If you go through another field to avoid cattle, you are trespassing; although thay's not a crminal offence, the landowner can prosecute you.

There's no easy answer to this. Farmers need to use their fields, walkers should be able to use designated footpaths, changing the route of a footpath is a complicated business..... Personally, I feel that a fenced-off section around the edge of a field is a good idea, or maybe farmers could put notices on the field entrances to warn people there are cattle in there (what a faff!).

We've been followed, on the other side of the fence, by nosey bullocks when walking down a lane in Orkney. Quite disconcerting because the fence was a wire one and there was only an "Orkney gate" - a few strands of wire held up by a few bits of wood! The cattle respected it, though, but it would have broken if one of them had leaned on it!.