Is it unreasonable to expect electric fences on footpaths?

Incident number: 967

Response ID: 306,987,531

Date of incident: 13.07.24

Location: Nera Steyning Sussex (W3W: glossed.dumplings.odds)

Status: Loan walker on PFP with dog on lead

Neil’s story

“I entered the field via a stile on a signposted public footpath with my springer spaniel, who is 7 years old and has never had the remotest interest in livestock of any description her entire life, and this day was no different, and thus she was off the lead as usual, but close to me as usual, carrying a stick. I noticed the herd at the far end of the field (250-300 metres) clumped directly on the footpath route and essentially right in front of the next stile. I put Jem on the lead and began to walk gently in a very wide arc around the other edge of the field and we were about 100 metres from the first style when I noticed them moving towards us at what seemed a fairly regular walking pace. I became anxious about 10 or 15 seconds later when I noticed a couple at the head of the herd break into a slight canter and definitely in our direction, which then very quickly escalated into a run that the rest of the herd followed with. I quickly unclipped Jem and sprinted with her back to the stile we had come over. By the time we jumped back over it, the cows were almost upon us and running at what I would describe as stampede pace and they were snorting and mooing very aggressively. My heart was in my mouth and the dog was also quite scared. I am an experienced country walker and live nearby in the village of Henfield. I always respect cows and give them as much room as possible but have never been this aggressively pursued before by them. Really very frightening.”

Neil thinks

“Where there are a herd in a field with a public footpath running down one side of the field, but no easy escape (hedges on all 4 sides), I don’t think it is unreasonable for the farmer to have to place an electric fence along the line of the footpath. I know this wouldn’t stop them if they really wanted, but they would probably be wary of it having been zapped by it already a few times and would not come to near it. – Maybe? ! Also, if the herd are know to agitate easily – which the farmer should be aware of – then appropriate warning signs should be used on the stile access to the field.”