Turning Out Cattle

It is getting to the time of year when cattle will be turned out and so planning on how that should be done given the constraints of the farm and the type/age of cattle should be considered.

It seems every year the number of people, predominantly members of the public, which are killed or injured by cattle during theirs walks through fields, gets larger.

Certainly, statistically speaking, in the year to March 2024, being injured by an animal (predominantly cattle) was the biggest cause of fatal injuries with 8 out 27 people killed in agriculture.

Half of those killed by cattle were members of the public walking through fields.

A recent court case shows how, by having a managed approach to cattle, a defence can be mounted in the tragic case of someone getting hurt or worse in a field.

The farmer in question, when questioned in court, stated that he had monitored the cows and calves since birth and assessed their behaviour before placing them in the field. He had not believed any of the cows in the herd posed any sort of threat to people. He had also placed warning signs at the entry to the field.

The HSE has some guidance which states that where possible, cows and calves should not be kept in fields with public footpaths; this is particularly important during periods of greater public use like school holidays. 

Cattle and public access in England and Wales (hse.gov.uk)

Cattle and public access in Scotland (hse.gov.uk)

Where this is not possible, measures should be put in place to separate cattle from walkers, either by putting up temporary fencing or by providing an alternative route.

Richard Heady, who has a fantastic Facebook page documenting his farming year, made an informative video on how to walk through a field of cattle and can be accessed here. https://www.facebook.com/headysfarm/videos/3286933604678319/

If you have the opportunity to educate others on how to behave, this is a really good start.

There is some research that demonstrates a positive effect on performance from a policy of selecting “quiet” cattle that goes along with the improvements of safety that may have been the original driver of the policy.

 We would encourage that trend to continue.