Caution’s the key with cattle, even if you are a farmer

Comment Fordyce Maxwell

On a recent Cheviots walk my friend Ian and I came through four fields in succession packed with cattle. That was unusual. The usual transition from whitegrass or heather in the Cheviots to lower ground is to grain or sheep. We usually see few cattle.

One field had cows and weeks-old calves which watched us closely, but didn’t move. The other three fields had young stock of varying sizes on good grass, coats glossy, on a superb sunny late spring day.

They reacted differently. In each field they gave us the charge, grouping then rushing towards us. Confronted, they backed off, but many were ready to rush in again.

Writing this sounds silly for someone who has worked a lot with cattle even if not recently, but it’s how I felt at the time. Walkingalongthepathasshown on the map with one eye on the nearest fence and the other on 60 or 70 headsdown young cattle moving alongside reminded me of a Western where the Native Americans ride menacingly along the ridge above the wagon train.

Surely, I thought, there was a time when a walker could have enjoyed walking through a field of cattle like this without feeling apprehensive. Surely I was over-reacting? But since the Belgian Blue heifer attacked us from behind and had to be beaten off with walking poles I’ve been more wary than I used to be. She meant it.

My theory is that just as Ian and I see few other humans on most of our walks, the same is true of cattle. At least they seldom see humans not linked

0 Cattle of all types can be curious – and dangerous with a quad bike or tractor. Fewer staff and more cattle or sheep per stockman than formerly mean that a morning or evening stroll round the stock is less common than inspection and head counts by quad, four wheel drive or tractor.

Consequently, young cattle take a lively interest in something on two legs in their territory. We know that beware of the bull and never take a dog into a field with cows and calves is good advice. Several fatal attacks by cows on walkers in recent years were caused by the presence of a dog.

But be wary of all cattle when crossing their territory must also be good advice.

That is, of course, also true for those who work with cattle regularly, not just twitchy walkers. A recent fatal accident inquiry found that the farmer who died had taken too much for granted when handling cows he had worked with for years. His temporary handling system failed and an agitated cow attacked him causing fatal injuries.

I also remember the Orkney crofter who told me how the bull he had dealt with daily for three years, often including an affectionate pat on the head, had turned and almost killed him.

Not a random thump, but several determined crushing attempts as he crawled towards a fence, finally hauling himself through with an assortment of smashed bones that laid him up for a year.

The gap between those who live and work in the country and incomers and walkers is often wide. The lighter side is the recent story about a farmer in Lancashire who put up a notice after complaints from a couple who had bought a house nearby:

“This property is a farm. Farms have animals. Animals make funny sounds, can smell bad and have sex outdoors. Unless you can tolerate the above – DON’T BUY A PROPERTY IN THE COUNTRY.”

In spite of public access laws I guess that could also be applied to walkers and those who venture into the countryside occasionally with the added warning: “Treat all animals with caution.”

Postscript: There are livestock along the 207 miles of the Southern Upland Way from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath. Arthur Anderson, who walked all the Way in 1997 to raise funds for the RSABI, Scotland’s leading rural charity, and I will see some of it on a few stages later this month and in to June.

But Andrew Leggate and Gregor Caldwell will see it all on every stage as they raise funds for today’s RSABI. To support their efforts, contact jill.sloan@rsabi. org.uk