Lockdown walkers pose a threat to the countryside
Essential workers, including farmers who are helping to maintain the nation’s food supply and have important animal welfare responsibilities, must be allowed to go about their business without interference or fear of unnecessary exposure to Covid-19.
That was the message yesterday from Scotland’s environment secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, following widespread reports from the farming sector of a dramatic increase in the number of people passing across farmland and through farm yards and buildings.
She said that, while the Scottish Outdoor Access Code granted many freedoms to walk across land, this had to be done in a responsible way.
And in addition to the normal responsibilities, she stressed that the current limited opportunity to take exercise during lockdown should not be abused.
Listing a number of additional considerations, Cunningham said that anyone taking exercise should stay local and not travel by car to exercise – and should maintain distance from other people:
“Respect the health and safety of farmers and others working the land – please follow all reasonable requests and signs to avoid particular areas, such as farmyards, fields with pregnant or young livestock, and other busy working areas,” she said.
“Avoid contact – try to avoid touching surfaces and if possible plan a route that does not require you to open gates.”
Cunningham added that dogs should be kept under control, especially at this time of year with lambing and calving in full swing.
Earlier in the week NFU Scotland’s head of policy, Gemma Cooper, called for urgent discussion and action to be taken around the issue of public access to land.
She said that while it made sense for the public to take reasonable exercise, for farmers the impact had been “immediate and acute”: “The volume of access taking, behaviour, and the type of public taking access has instantaneously changed and members are reporting problems to NFUS in substantial numbers.”
Stressing that it was vital that farmers could carry out their business without impediment, she said that public access should not be allowed to stand in the way of personal safety or food production.
“It has become clear that farmers are being faced with an ill-informed public who do not appear aware of the access code and the requirements of responsible access,” said Cooper, who added that this had resulted in numerous reports of littering, gates being left open, crop damage, and livestock disturbance.
“In addition, there has been a huge increase in farmers reporting the public taking access through (or in) farm steadings and other buildings, with some reports of finding the public in farmhouse gardens.”
Sarah-jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, also reported a huge increase members expressing concern about the number of people using the countryside with apparent disregard for the health of farm and estate workers and the safety of young calves and lambs and their mothers.
“Key workers such as farmers working hard to deliver healthy local food should not have to worry about members of the public infringing on their personal space during this crisis,” she said.