Another walker killed by cows…..is there a solution?

Been done forever Greyduster.

On the Water Meadows near my home I have seen some startlingly stupid behaviour. There are 'kissing gates' leading onto the fields and I saw a woman push her small dog under the gate and then try to force the gate against a cow which was standing close to the fence. A warden rushed to stop her - luckily. I've heard of people pushing a buggy through a herd of cows, and letting their dogs run wild amongst the cattle. You do wonder if they have even the remotest idea of the injury that even one cow might cause, and if they run as a herd, the damage can be colossal. Fresians are reckoned to be the worst for suddenly turning hostile - I would never venture near them.

Perhaps that’s why I got pushed over by the bullock, Dylis - I was wearing red socks!😁
Has anyone had any experience of common grazing land? We were driving back from the East coast last year and passed a large grass area that was so designated that bordered the main road. It was basically no more than a village green! There was signage to that effect that it was common grazing land and to beware of cattle. There were seven cows on this land, no fences or barriers of any kind and when one cow chose to walk into the road, two others followed it. The vehicle three cars ahead of us just managed to stop and happily, so did everyone else! I can’t think that this was a sensible way to graze animals. Two brave souls got out of a cars and shooed them back onto the grass.

Farmers have a right to graze their cattle on their land. If walkers are too close to cattle they must take their chances …I’m a walker , but I would never venture near a cow. Kill more folk a year than sharks!! Stay clear ! Enough said

Never walk through a field of cattle, especially if they've young or you have a dog. Doesn't matter whether it is a footpath, they won't be grazing it for ever, so wait for the cattle to be removed to another field. Better safe than sorry! And if you live in the country try to learn some of the countryside do's and don'ts, it could save your life!!!

It's not just the countryside...I'm in the North East and in Newcastle, we have the Town Moor which is approx' 1,000 acres.
From March to Oct' cattle graze on the land although I don't think there's ever been an incident of harm interestingly enough.

The answer is “don’t take your dog into a field of cows, especially if they have calves.”.

It’s common sense.
Something that dog walkers seem to lack in abundance.

An interesting read.
There are in fact very few publicly owned footpaths; most are rights of way by foot over private land. The public don't seem to realise this.
Several local ones have been legally re routed around the edges of fields intead of going across them, much more sensible and safer.

Don't walk dogs through fields containing cows. If you'll pardon the pun it is like a red rag to a bull.

Katie59

The real risk is with dogs, don’t go into fields with livestock the risk just walking is very low, groups of walkers rambles are no problem because the know where they are going and don’t get lost.

I know where I am going, I don't need to be with a group of ramblers, I can follow a map and if I am on a footpath which goes over a stile and into a field of sheep or cattle, what am I supposed to do? Fly? I am a land owner and as I've said already I have a footpath which goes across one of the fields. I understand what my legal responsibility is and as a walker with a dog, I know how to behave in the countryside. Most cattle are perfectly safe, it's cows with a calf at foot that are a risk and the farmer has a responsibility towards any walker who is legally using a footpath. Just put up a temporary fence to keep the footpath and the cattle separate. I have loads of cheap temporary fencing, everyone with land and stock does and it's a quick job that keeps everyone safe.

When we had cows I saw a man with a bicycle walking through our private fields - no right of way - when I called to ask what he was doing he said 'I am taking a short cut'. My answer was it was private land and no short cuts or right if way existed. He should find his way out before I let the bull out. Said bull was only a few days old, in the barn with his mum!! The chap certainly took a short cut, threw his bike over the hedge onto the road and quickly followed!!

The real risk is with dogs, don’t go into fields with livestock the risk just walking is very low, groups of walkers rambles are no problem because the know where they are going and don’t get lost.

I was a solicitor with a highway authority Grey.

walkers

Katie59

MaizieD

Katie59

My brother has a large meadow with a footpath crossing, cattle and horses regularly graze it, he has fenced the footpath off because he is fed up with walkers that are too stupid to obey the rules.

I don't get this, Katie59. What 'rules' are these walkers too stupid to follow?

As far as I'm aware there is a legal requirement to stay on the footpath, but apart from that, what else is there?

Correct, but they ignore the rules and roam where they want and let dogs run free.

The reality is farmers have to do all they can to avoid anyone getting injured. If it does happen the HSE will prosecute and the jury will always find for the victim.

You've still not told me what these 'rules' are, Katie59.

What are they, who made them and how are they enforced?

Milest0ne

A farm is a business. where a farmer earns a living. Cattle can't read, they make up their own rules. I don't like the idea of walking right through the middle of a field especially with a valuable crop growing. If there is a right of way from one side of a field to the other ,I would prefer to walk round the edge, (not disturbing the wildlife corridor. )
Would anyone expect to walk through a factory?

It might seem sensible to walk around a field when the path goes through crops but technically to walk anywhere but the designated footpath is trespassing. Farmers have a duty to restore a public footpath if it has been ploughed. Sadly some landowners do not always adhere to laws in respect of public footpaths and some block footpaths with gates and barbed wire (in which case they should be reported to the local authority. It is not all one way, however, and wakkers must respect the landowners’ property and refrain from dropping litter or causing any kind of damage

The green dashed line (on OS Explorer maps) or pink dashed line (on OS Landranger maps) are footpaths with a public right of way. They are legally protected routes that the public may use by foot.19 Jul 2018

Milest0ne

A farm is a business. where a farmer earns a living. Cattle can't read, they make up their own rules. I don't like the idea of walking right through the middle of a field especially with a valuable crop growing. If there is a right of way from one side of a field to the other ,I would prefer to walk round the edge, (not disturbing the wildlife corridor. )
Would anyone expect to walk through a factory?

We are talking about PUBLIC footpaths.
There are thousands of keen walkers like myself who enjoy spending time in the countryside, we abide by the rules and would never dream of marching across a field of crops or deviating from the designated footpath.

I bow to your expertise, GSM.

Fleurpepper

GrannyGravy13

Don’t walk anywhere near livestock, just because a footpath goes through a farmers land doesn’t mean you have to use it.

I apologise if that sounds harsh and I have deepest sympathy for the deceased’s friends and family.

Animals especially in a herd can be unpredictable.

So, if a farmer does not want people to use a public footpath, all he has to do is to put cattle there year round, and no public.

Clever that!

Public footpaths are public and should be made safe. Cows with calves should not be grazed where public has access.

Oh those clever farmers, just pop some cows in the way.
It's the other way around. Public footpaths date from the time farmers had to cross each-other's land to reach their own fields. Public footpaths are not created for leisure, only you are allowed to use them for your leisure - taking all safety measures required.

The farmer is bound by law not to place dangerous animals in fields where there is a public footpath (Occupiers Liability Act 1984) and can be prosecuted for an injury incurred by a walker on their land. In some cases the Act can apply even where the victim is trespassing.
That said it is extremely unwise to walk a dog in a field with cows, and when the cows have calves.

Being marked on an OS map doesn’t make a track a public footpath. The OS have merely noted the physical existence of a track. The Definitive Maps maintained by highway authorities show public footpaths and bridleways.

I would just avoid fields with cows in

Surely if a footpath is marked on an Ordnance Survey map, it is a designated public footpath. If the paths are on Access Land, they are marked as such and there is no automatic right to roam, but different usage criteria apply that the public should be aware of. I live surrounded by farm land and we had several public footpaths closed here recently, mostly across fields that are grazing areas for horses, and frankly, I’m more afraid of horses than I am of cattle.

Don’t walk a dog in fields with cows. It’s almost always people with a dog who get attacked.