The reason I did notdifferntiate is because I am not talking about right to roam. There are many footpaths and ways on the moors that are marked. One of my favourite walks is a loop around the Doone valley on marked paths but with plenty of free roaming cattle!

It is my understanding that a public footpath allows the public to walk across land on a designated course therefore if walking with a child the child is by law allowed to walk there! If my dog attacked someone walking on the pavement alongside my property we would be liable. If there is a footpath and someone is attacked by cattle whilst on that path then surely the farmer is also liable?

I am not advocating walking willy nilly all over the farmers land just being able to follow footpaths without risk to life!

A friend of mine was trampled and had a head injury on a footpath in a Country Park. They also charged a cyclist and a woman with a pushchair (neither of whom had dogs). This is public-owned land.
My friend tried to get away by walking along the hedge but they surrounded him and knocked him down. Luckily our dogs protected him and us.
These are public Rights of Way. People have fought to get them recognised.

I have no idea how many people walk, with complete safety, through herds of cows each year. Neither do I know how many people get “chased” by cows or horses or possibly even ewes with lambs. I am sure that incidents happen sometimes through ignorance, sometimes through arrogance, sometimes through bad luck and some times through mis-management. Possibly I am fortunate in that I rarely have any concerns about walking through a field with cattle (although I would with a lone bull) and if I did have a concern I would bypass the field.

Well we`re not ignorant or arrogant. The farmer put the cows with calves in this field even though he has many others - so it`s nothing to do with luck or mis-management. Go figure. He has been told not to do it again by the landowners (a public body).
If farmers can go to towns, then townies can go to the country, is the way I look at it.

this might be a stupid question... but who puts the footpaths there? is it the farmer or the council or someone else? i dont really know about this kind of thing...

But it is op to the townfolk to accept the risks involved in dealing with large animals. I grew up around farm animals. I will never enter a field with a cow in it. I don't know the animal but i know the potential risk involved. So when some townie claims he has the right to enter a field. He has to accept the animals in it as well. just as the farmer has to accept the risk of going to town

Greetings

Johan

So following that theory that it is the walkers decision to take the risk. All fields with footpaths could have aggressive bulls in them and then nobody woould use them. This in turn would stop the right of way from staying a footpath. farmers effectively remove all footpaths.....

Surely compromise in the form of sensible grazing and fencing and respectful informed walking!

I found this link that deals with footpath law.

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/brit...hlaw2.htm#bull

This is the section that deals wth bulls....

23. Can a farmer keep a bull in a field crossed by a public path?
A bull of up to ten months old, yes. Bulls over ten months of a recognised dairy breed (Ayrshire, British Friesian, British Holstein, Dairy Shorthorn, Guernsey, Jersey and Kerry) are banned from fields crossed by public paths under all circumstances. All other bulls over ten months are banned unless accompanied by cows or heifers. If any bulls act in a way which endangers the public, an offence may be committed under health and safety legislation.

Interesting that if the public is endangered by a bull an offence may have been committed. I wonder if this would also be the same for cows with calves. If so then it is in the farmers interest to not put such cattle in a field with a footpath....

It seems that nowadays no one is accountable for their own actions and alway try to blame someone else.

The point im making is there were cattle in the field,the lady made the choice to enter and when it all went wrong-blames the farmer for having them there.Its like buying a fast car,having an accident and afterwards blaming the manufacturer for making it so fast.

People just need to use some common sense when there are livestock around.