Author Topic: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man  (Read 7190 times)

Innominate Man

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #15 on: 14:11:54, 09/12/16 »
If you are worried about cows and bulls its a good idea to keep a small can of WD40 and a lighter in your pocket.All animals are terrified of fire and the WD40 and lighter will create a sheet of flame that can travel 15ft or more.If farmers are left with semi-roast beef and huge vets bills they might start taking the issue more seriously.
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Geoffrey Winthrop Young

White Horse Walker

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #16 on: 14:31:35, 09/12/16 »
What a terrible story and it seems it could have been avoided had the farmer done what he was asked after previous incidents.


I quote from a local news-site "The court was told that before Prof Porter's death Godwin had repeatedly been told by the Health and Safety Executive to install electric fencing and put up more signs."

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Sue

Jac

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #17 on: 23:13:16, 09/12/16 »
I've been wondering what it is about this farmer's cattle that make them so aggressive. It seems unlikely, given the length of time from the first incident, that the same animals are involved. Is it the breed, the breeding or the husbandry?
Any thoughts
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barewirewalker

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #18 on: 08:06:43, 10/12/16 »
I've been wondering what it is about this farmer's cattle that make them so aggressive. It seems unlikely, given the length of time from the first incident, that the same animals are involved. Is it the breed, the breeding or the husbandry?
Any thoughts


Over the years, participating on this forum, I have raised several points related to the changes in breeds and husbandry methods pertinent to your question.


There are changes and they could have affected animal behaviour, but also there is a change in attitudes to sharing the countryside.


Firstly three changes in animal husbandry;
1. Tying up cattle in the cowshed and personal contact. This is no longer practiced and there is less actual physical contact between human and bovine.
2. The increase in both number and size if single suckler herds.
3. The introduction of breeds mostly from the continent, over our traditional breeds, which are the only breed named in the regulations about animal care in relation to contact with the public.


Secondly the attitude about access. This has changed since the Country Landowners Association needed to increase its membership due to loss of power in the House of Lords. Their action in strengthening the notion that all land, off the right of way, is private land. This adds to the arrogance of those like the farmer in this instant and hinders the acceptance of principles of professional care.


I have given more detail on past posts here for my reasons and experiences for stating these observations.


Personally as a past member and group branch chairman on the the NFU, I believe this organization has failed to recognise the philosophies of the CLA as counter productive to their interests and therefore missed opportunities to meet some of these problems in the formative stages.

BWW
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Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #19 on: 12:31:19, 10/12/16 »
A farmer can do only a certain amount to prevent personal injury or death by animals in his possession.
There are certain instances where its impossible to segregate the public from grazing cows, and when serious injury or death does occur, its very regrettable.
What ever this farmer failed to do, to prevent walkers from coming into contact with his animals, their alway's very unpredictable things, and within reason he should not be prosecuted for an animals instinct to show immense interest in us.

The only way we can stop these events happening , is to lock up the animals 24/7, and not allow them to graze naturally.

Thankfully these events are rare, but extreme caution must always be shown when crossing land with crazing animals, and if at all possible retrace your route through the field.

Many walkers do not see the danger, or think that quietly grazing cows are docile enough, and pose little physical threat to us.

Remember, these events are very rare, but large often nervous animals can be often very unpredictable.

Give cows and particularly bulls, great distance when travelling through their field.

If you are unable to access the land without getting too close for comfort, then find an alternative route.

barewirewalker

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #20 on: 13:50:07, 10/12/16 »
A farmer can do only a certain amount to prevent personal injury or death by animals in his possession.


I think this attitude from outside of the Agricultural industry unsafe. Having had the day to day management of a herd 120 milking cows and their followers as my personal responsibility and following the topic, I have just read the original report. Personally I am horrified at the cavalier attitude of a livestock owner to public safety.


There are plenty of steps that could be taken, first step is doing a safety assessment related to the temperament of the animals under his care and he is lucky that the insurance company did not refuse to cover his liability.


Suspicion of bad temperament has been common knowledge in the industry in relation to Limousin cattle. Enough to justify segregating any suspiciously aggresive female, pure bred or cross and a proper understanding of herd instinct when an alpha female is in a herd.


Sounds like there was danger was present in this herd well before this incident.


I organised livestock parades at a 2 day county Agricultural Show for 45 years, when the show committee would not follow my safety assessments, I resigned. No one else was prepared to put the work in to organise them so livestock parades were discontinued.


There was another case where the owner of cattle was let off by the courts. Purely because the lady, whose husband was killed, described the aggressive animal as a bull, when it was in fact a cow (Swiss dairy breed). No other industry is allowed to ring fence itself against bad practice and insisting on responsible good practice is not going to put up the price of meat.


If farmers are encouraged in the arrogance of 18th century landowners by thinking they should be represented professionally by the CLA then more of this will continue to happen.



BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

sussamb

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #21 on: 13:54:57, 10/12/16 »
Give cows and particularly bulls, great distance when travelling through their field.

That is actually wrong, bulls with cows generally exert a calming influence, and are not the problem.  Invariably it's cows with calves that are the most dangerous.
Where there's a will ...

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #22 on: 14:06:25, 10/12/16 »
That may well be the case, in normal circumstances, but any large group of bovine creatures, can become aroused or distracted by passers by, especially if a dog on a lead is causing them distress or annoyance.


They rarely amble away gently, to avoid any confrontation, its almost as if they know their physical weight and size can intimidate and overpower us.
Cows are very unpredictable creatures, and the best solution really is to give them as much room as possible.
Being halfway across a large field full of cows, that suddenly decide to show a big interest in you, is very scary.
Its happened to me twice over the many years of walking, and thankfully i was able to outrun them, due to the distance between me and them.

Horses especially i find very unpredictable, more so than cows.

sussamb

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #23 on: 14:24:18, 10/12/16 »
That may well be the case ...

It IS the case  ::)
Where there's a will ...

Mel

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #24 on: 15:02:41, 10/12/16 »
I'm quite flummoxed, given that cattle are a "known" cause of distress to most walkers and there are so many rules and regulations around what is and isn't safe to have in a field with a PRoW through it, why farmers can't simply provide a temporary permissive path avoiding the field with cattle in.  It wouldn't be difficult.  It's not rocket science.  A temporary permissive diversion path would just need a gate/stile, a sign saying "temporary alternate path avoiding cattle field" and an arrow pointing the way.  It's not preventing anyone using the official PRoW, it's simply providing an alternative route avoiding the cattle.
 
 

mike knipe

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #25 on: 15:11:31, 10/12/16 »
I had a conversation at length with a farmer quite recently (probably just needed somebody to talk to!) and he managed his cattle by basically getting to know them, extensive contact and handling and never dealing with his cattle when he had his dog with him.
Suckler cattle with calves at foot are specially twitchy about dogs - and I've been run at by belted galloways, which are not the most aggressive cattle in the world even when there's been a bull in the field. I've been chased many times by sucklers but never by a bull, whether its been on its own or in a herd. In fact, this summer in Northumberland, we had to muscle our way through three huge beef bulls who seem to have been having some sort of meeting by the pasture gates.
Having said that, all cattle and horses should be considered as a potential threat because you're a walker and you're not the farmer/.owner who will have a good idea which animals will be aggressive and which won't. (although farmers often get injured by their own animals)
One answer to the problem is not to insist that farmers don't have their castle in fields with rights of way, but to alter access legislation so that it would be perfectly legal for a walker to take a safer route. This would also help to protect in-lamb sheep and any other animals which may be nervous or aggressive. In effect, this would bring Englandandwales into line with Scotland
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bricam2096

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #26 on: 15:13:10, 10/12/16 »
On entering a field with cattle in it, I just start reading aloud some of DA's forum posts, that tends to make the animals a bit drowsy and lose the will, thus leaving me with an easy passage through the field  O0
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Mel

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #27 on: 15:18:37, 10/12/16 »
Surely doing that would make them gather round saying "no, I'm Llandudnoboy"  ???

Penygadair

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #28 on: 15:55:30, 10/12/16 »
I just start reading aloud some of DA's forum posts, that tends to make the animals a bit drowsy


Has the same effect on humans.  :)

sussamb

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Re: Farmer escapes jail after cows kill man
« Reply #29 on: 16:41:57, 10/12/16 »
 ;D ;D ;D
Where there's a will ...

 

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