Walkers warned of the dangers of cattle

Former farmer Ken Harrison, who lives in Hovingham, wants to make people aware of the dangers of walking near cattle, especially cows and their young, when their dogs are off leads.

He said that if a dog is running through the field a cow will naturally protect its young and he is worried that people who then chase after the dogs will end up hurt or even killed.

He said: “People don’t realise just how dangerous cattle can be and especially cows with a calf.

“A cow with a calf is a dangerous animal. They are defending their young as you would expect them to do as a mother.

“We don’t want to stop people walking along paths and public rights of way we just want to make them more aware of the dangers. We don’t want to see anyone killed.”

In 2013 there were seven fatal injuries to members of the public on farms, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU), which predominately involved walkers with dogs being attacked by cows with young calves.

The NFU recently held farm safety week, highlighting the dangers for both famers and members of the public and what can be done to stay safe on the farm.

James Eckley, National Federation of Young Farmer’s Clubs and Farm Safety Partnership England member, said that over the past five years 17 per cent of all reported major injuries were as a result of livestock-related incidents and 11 per cent of workers killed on farms were livestock-related.

He said: “Livestock can be unpredictable and there is always a risk from crushing, kicking butting or goring.

“Don’t learn safety by accident. Take time to think about what you are doing and what might go wrong.”

Walkers are urged to give livestock plenty of space, avoid getting between cows and their calves, keep your dog on a lead and under control and move quickly, quietly and calmly.

If a dog is threatened by cattle, let the dog go to allow it to run to safety to avoid putting yourself at risk.

For more on farm safety, visit nfuonline.com