Farmers obliged to keep ramblers safe
Fume about new guidelines from UK government
In England, public access to parts of the countryside is written into law, and public footpaths are often threaded through farmers’ fields. Successive lockdowns have seen more people heading out into nature. Some stay on the paths, others not so much.
The government recently issued new guidance, advising farmers and land managers on how to “help the public enjoy the countryside responsibly” by making land “more accessible”.
The new guidance urged, among other things, a policy of honesty: “Do not use misleading signage, such as ‘bull in field’ if it is not true.”
It also encourages “friendly language if you need to use signs to tell visitors what they can or cannot do”.
Ramblers, a national walking charity, welcomed the news.
“Working together, we can all help everyone, everywhere access and enjoy the countryside,” it tweeted.
The government’s advice was met with cynicism by some farmers, who have had to contend with wanderers passing through their land, some with unleashed dogs which could attack livestock. Others, they say, have left gates open, allowing livestock to escape.
In the northern city of Bradford, James Hanson has been “farming on the urban fringe” at his farm and livery yard, Raikes Hall, which is surrounded by green fields bathed in golden sunlight on one end and housing developments on the other. There are no signs to direct hikers to the handful of footpaths snaking their way around his farm, although they appear on widely used maps.
Although most wanderers are respectful, “many people do not arm themselves with the information they need”, Hanson said.
He saw an increase in people using public paths during the pandemic and had to clean up damage and litter left by bonfires and picnics.
“Farmers and landowners do not need educating on land use and how to treat people,” he said. “Farmers know every fence post, every gate post, every tree, every piece of livestock.
“It’s them,” he said, referring to hikers, “that need educating about the land that they’re walking on, not the farmers.”
The update in guidance follows a spate of incidents of walkers using public pathways being attacked by livestock.
In January, a former British army officer was trampled by a herd of cows in rural North Yorkshire, when they feared her Labrador was a threat to their calves. In 2020, at least two men were trampled to death by cows.
A few miles from a pen where Hanson’s cattle are grazing, a trail of horses floated on the horizon like white cotton balls in a field that is part of his farm.
“Those horses aren’t supposed to be there. They are supposed to be two fields down,” Hanson said. “I’ll bet my bottom dollar somebody’s opened the gates and left them open.”
The new guidance advises the addition of self-closing gates instead of stiles, and better signage, according to a statement by the department for environment, food and rural affairs.
Although the new guidance advises farmers to keep their dogs under control in public areas “to keep visitors and their dogs safe”, Robert Light – who has run Moorhouse farm since 1981 – said there were several instances when dogs had attacked his cows, and sheep on other farms, an issue stemming from before the pandemic.
“One cow ended up killing herself because she was chased by dogs into a hedge,” said Light. “That was many years ago, but it was quite graphic.”
Nonetheless, Light, 56, welcomed the new guidance.
“The Countryside Code has been really helpful because it’s given farmers and landowners regulation to work on,” he said, adding it needed to be enforced properly, particularly when it came to walkers keeping their dogs leashed.
The ire of one farmer made national headlines, when a video of him destroying a car parked on his land with a forklift spread widely on social media.
The man said during a court appearance that “an Englishman’s home is his castle”.
He was cleared of charges after a jury considered a 17th-century law on the right to defend property, according to a report in The Times of London.
Not that visitors need to know ancient history.
Hanson’s advice was simple: “Follow the rules,” he said. “Be sensible, and be mature about what you’re doing.”