Cattle

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Sunday Times 18th June 2023

This article focused on the risk to walkers of injury (possibly fatal) when entering fields holding cattle. According to unofficial statistics gathered since 2010, attacks on members of the public only involve the prescence of dogs in half the cases and cows with calves in a fifth. Cases tend to occur in Spring and early Summer after cattle have been released from their winter lodgings. The following guide is included in the article:

Do:

  • be prepared for cattle to react to your presence, especially if you're with a dog and there are calves around.
  • move quickly and quietly, and if possible walk round the herd.
  • keep your dog close and under effective control on a lead.

Don't:

  • get between cows and their calves - make as wide a detour as you need to.
  • hang on to your dog if you are threatened by cattle - let it go - the cattle may chase the dog and it is more nimble than you.
  • put yourself at risk - find a way round the cattle and rejoin the path further on.
  • panic or run - most cattle will stop before they reach you - if they follow, just walk on quietly.

 

Walk Issue 65 Winter 2019

Q.        Earlier this year I devised a walk for the Ramblers website starting in Goodcliff in south Wales near the banks of the Severn. I went back to it this week and found that a ‘Bull in field’ sign had been added to a stile on a stretch of the Welsh coast path. Can this be legal?

A.         Adult bulls on their own are never allowed to be kept in fields with public access. However, breeds that aren’t recognised dairy breeds are allowed, as long as they are accompanied by cows and/or heifers. This is because recognise dairy breeds are deemed to be more aggressive than breeds that are raised for meat. The government’s Health and Safety Executive recommends that signs are that displayed at access points (such as stiles) where there is a legal bull in a field with public access. The sign should be removed whenever the bull is not in the field. If you think the bull might be on its own, or of a recognised dairy breed, you should report this immediately to the highway authority. You should also report any animal that is behaving aggressively or stopping people using public rights of way.