How do you feel about walkers on your land?

03-08-2020 12:35am

Wasn't it mentioned on here before that no farmer had ever been successfully sued by a walker/uninvited person on farmland?

Still waters · 03-08-2020 12:35am

Loads of commonage and walkways intersecting around here. If often be up around the land and meet plenty walkers, there seems to be a lot of tolerance from farmers locally about walkers and tourists, as long as they don't park across gates or block green roads there's never any issues, but i can see where farmers are coming from when they dont want any trespassers but the most of people i see stay on the trails

ruwithme · 03-08-2020 12:41am

Some very strong feelings on here regarding land. The thread last week on the neighbours wanting to bury water pipe on another's land was the same.

Most of us farmer's are fortunate to have being born into land. Personally don't like this buy your own land quip. Its not a runner for almost all non farming folk.

Op as has being said earlier, people like to be asked about permission to go onto land beforehand and i hope would generally permit it.

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 12:45am

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Do farmers pick up their own dogs poo in the fields?

Your own dogs can do what they like in your garden.
Nothing they do there would give me the right to hop across your wall on the way home from the pub and take a dump in your flowerbeds.

A fella near me had a lot of sheep and was notorious for shooting dogs....there was a story that he tracked down a dog and shot it in its owners back garden after he said he saw it running around one of his fields.

I don't know how true that story is, and I wouldn't necessarily condone it, but his reputation definitely puts manners on any dog owners in the area.

I reckon that if he caught you walking across one of his fields with your dog, you'd be carrying it out.

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 12:48am

ruwithme wrote: »

Some very strong feelings on here regarding land. The thread last week on the neighbours wanting to bury water pipe on another's land was the same.

Most of us farmer's are fortunate to have being born into land. Personally don't like this buy your own land quip. Its not a runner for almost all non farming folk.

Op as has being said earlier, people like to be asked about permission to go onto land beforehand and i hope would generally permit it.

The country is full of state parks and woodland for anyone who wants to go on a nature walk.

If a neighbour that you know wants to take a walk across, most people wouldn't have an issue with that. Some ponced-up daytripper is a different matter

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 12:49am

Still waters wrote: »

Loads of commonage and walkways intersecting around here. If often be up around the land and meet plenty walkers, there seems to be a lot of tolerance from farmers locally about walkers and tourists, as long as they don't park across gates or block green roads there's never any issues, but i can see where farmers are coming from when they dont want any trespassers but the most of people i see stay on the trails

Commonage is still owned is it not? It's not public. It's land which is owned in common

forgottenhills · 03-08-2020 12:49am

sweet_trip wrote: »

I do a lot of walking in my area. Often I cut across fields for a shortcut or just walk the farm lanes.

I've bumped into two of the farmers while walking the laneways and they never said anything to me. Just drove past in their tractors and I gave them a nod and a wave.

There's another farm complex I've started taking a shortcut across every now and then. Maybe a few times a year. I just hop the fence and walk across 3 grassy fields and try avoid any crops/cattle. Although the cattle sometimes does get excited when they notices me and comes for a gawk and I would be ducking under the odd electric fence. I don't know who this farmer is tbqh.

Would farmers in general be bothered by this? I don't want to be upsetting anybody but I grew up in a different area and always walked the fields and was generally an outdoorsy person so I still do it.

I walk a lot and I have a question for you. Why would you want to walk on farmland in the first place?

Its going to be a short dead end walk at the best of times. With possible downsides of you inadvertently doing some damage to livestock, crops or to yourself. What a boring walk it is to walk around the average field.

If you want a good walk go to the many Coillte forest or mountain walks or coastal walks and walk to your hearts content there. I am always amazed how few people use these facilities. Or if you are in the countryside you can walk the back roads. Or if you are in a city there are many city parks to walk. All of these are available to the public without any necessity to walk around somebody's place of business, which a farm is.

kirving · 03-08-2020 1:04am

Base price wrote: »

How do I feel - I feel for a couple of 12g cartridges.
Who the fcuk do you think you are crossing private land. I bet if I rocked up in your kitchen uninvited for Sunday breakfast you'd be pissed off.

Fcuking Right to Roam brigade :mad:

893bet wrote: »

This **** right off you can. Buy some land of your own and feel free to cut through it anytime.

I suspect this is some keyboard heroism here. Neither of you are ever actually going to threaten a walker.

Padre_Pio · 03-08-2020 1:16am

Donald Trump wrote: »

Your own dogs can do what they like in your garden.
Nothing they do there would give me the right to hop across your wall on the way home from the pub and take a dump in your flowerbeds.

Firstly, I'm not sh*tting in the field. My dog sometimes is. I will pick it up in future.
Secondly, a field is not a garden. It's a field. It's huge and it has all sorts sh*tting in it besides dogs. Foxes, rabbits, badgers, birds as well as livestock. Sure farmers have machinery to spray sh*t around.
Thirdly, that story is b*llocks and well you know it. A farmer needs to show that a dog was worrying livestock and there was no alternative to shooting it.
Fourthly, a lad walking a field is not some "ponced up daytripper" whatever that even means.
Fifthly, if people aren't respecting your property, that's a different argument.

I understand your frustration, but to many, including myself, a field is a field, and if I leave it the way I found it, what's the harm.
Call the guards if you want, but trespass isn't a criminal offence. The worst that will happen is that I'll be asked to leave, which I gladly will.

forgottenhills · 03-08-2020 1:22am

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Firstly, I'm not sh*tting in the field. My dog sometimes is. I will pick it up in future.
Secondly, a field is not a garden. It's a field. It's huge and it has all sorts sh*tting in it besides dogs. Foxes, rabbits, badgers, birds as well as livestock. Sure farmers have machinery to spray sh*t around.
Thirdly, that story is b*llocks and well you know it. A farmer needs to show that a dog was worrying livestock and there was no alternative to shooting it.
Fourthly, a lad walking a field is not some "ponced up daytripper" whatever that even means.
Fifthly, if people aren't respecting your property, that's a different argument.

I understand your frustration, but to many, including myself, a field is a field, and if I leave it the way I found it, what's the harm.
Call the guards if you want, but trespass isn't a criminal offence. The worst that will happen is that I'll be asked to leave, which I gladly will.

Why would you want to walk in a field, which after all is a farmers place of business, when there are many better alternatives as I pointed out in post #59?

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 1:22am

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Firstly, I'm not sh*tting in the field. My dog sometimes is. I will pick it up in future.
Secondly, a field is not a garden. It's a field. It's huge and it has all sorts sh*tting in it besides dogs. Foxes, rabbits, badgers, birds as well as livestock. Sure farmers have machinery to spray sh*t around.
Thirdly, that story is b*llocks and well you know it. A farmer needs to show that a dog was worrying livestock and there was no alternative to shooting it.
Fourthly, a lad walking a field is not some "ponced up daytripper" whatever that even means.
Fifthly, if people aren't respecting your property, that's a different argument.

I understand your frustration, but to many, including myself, a field is a field, and if I leave it the way I found it, what's the harm.
Call the guards if you want, but trespass isn't a criminal offence. The worst that will happen is that I'll be asked to leave, which I gladly will.

A farmer does not have to show that there was no alternative to shooting a dog. They wouldn't be supposed to enter someone else's property to do it of course, but if it was on their own land they don't need to show anything.

ganmo · 03-08-2020 2:23am

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Firstly, I'm not sh*tting in the field. My dog sometimes is. I will pick it up in future.
Secondly, a field is not a garden. It's a field. It's huge and it has all sorts sh*tting in it besides dogs. Foxes, rabbits, badgers, birds as well as livestock. Sure farmers have machinery to spray sh*t around.
Thirdly, that story is b*llocks and well you know it. A farmer needs to show that a dog was worrying livestock and there was no alternative to shooting it.
Fourthly, a lad walking a field is not some "ponced up daytripper" whatever that even means.
Fifthly, if people aren't respecting your property, that's a different argument.

I understand your frustration, but to many, including myself, a field is a field, and if I leave it the way I found it, what's the harm.
Call the guards if you want, but trespass isn't a criminal offence. The worst that will happen is that I'll be asked to leave, which I gladly will.

The exact wording is 'worrying or about to worry'
Translation, a dog in a field with livestock is covered.
Go read the act

ganmo · 03-08-2020 2:27am

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I suspect this is some keyboard heroism here. Neither of you are ever actually going to threaten a walker.

I've never threatened walkers but I have made them walk out the gate opposite to the way they wanted to go...and throw cloths into a river

Doctors room ghost · 03-08-2020 2:43am

Sheep breeder wrote: »

If that guy wants to walk across land fair play to him, but if encounters the stock bull he would want to be faster that usain bolt or in our case a big charolais heifer that is very highly strung and very fast and have the ambulance on speed dial.
Best thing is stay off farm land and walk the road or in parks. Or like captain Tom in the uk in lock down walk around your own property.

What would you be doing keeping a dangerous stock bull or a dangerous heifer that you need an ambulance on speed dial for?
Where’s the sense in that?
Do yourself a favour for your own and your families safety and load them stock and have them killed in your local factory.not a mart where they might be bought and do damage to someone.
Either that or stop with the barstool sh1te tales and less of the drama.

joeguevara · 03-08-2020 3:03am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

What would you be doing keeping a dangerous stock bull or a dangerous heifer that you need an ambulance on speed dial for?
Where’s the sense in that?
Do yourself a favour for your own and your families safety and load them stock and have them killed in your local factory.not a mart where they might be bought and do damage to someone.
Either that or stop with the barstool sh1te tales and less of the drama.

If you don’t think a bull should be kept in a fenced off field, where do you think they should be kept? Bulls account for 50% of livestock deaths in Irish farms. Not sure if you are from the country or an urban setting, but growing up in Tipp we were warned never to go near a bulls field or even chance a shortcut even if he was on the other side. Even a quiet bull can go nuts in the summer.

Disregarding a helpful post explaining that an ill informed rambler may end up impaled against a gate from a bull. Also saying a temperamental bull should be slaughtered is bs. Every bull would fall under that category. Calling it barstool sh1te is uncalled for. Fair play if you weren’t aware of most bulls temperament and potential danger, but if someone takes the time to assist the op with reasons why they shouldn’t walk across farmland, don’t ridicule them. The reason the bull escaped castration like his unfortunate bullock brothers is he displayed dominance, alpha male and full of testosterone. That’s what makes them mental though.

I’m not aware of highly charged heifers but if the poster said it I have no reason to question that.

Just to backup what I was saying have a read of this.

https://www.thatsfarming.com/news/farmers-alert-dangers-bulls

Doctors room ghost · 03-08-2020 3:16am

joeguevara wrote: »

If you don’t think a bull should be kept in a fenced off field, where do you think they should be kept? Bulls account for 50% of livestock deaths in Irish farms. Not sure if you are from the country or an urban setting, but growing up in Tipp we were warned never to go near a bulls field or even chance a shortcut even if he was on the other side. Even a quiet bull can go nuts in the summer.

Disregarding a helpful post explaining that an ill informed rambler may end up impaled against a gate from a bull. Also saying a temperamental bull should be slaughtered is bs. Every bull would fall under that category. Calling it barstool sh1te is uncalled for. Fair play if you weren’t aware of most bulls temperament and potential danger, but if someone takes the time to assist the op with reasons why they shouldn’t walk across farmland, don’t ridicule them. The reason the bull escaped castration like his unfortunate bullock brothers is he displayed dominance, alpha male and full of testosterone. That’s what makes them mental though.

I’m not aware of highly charged heifers but if the poster said it I have no reason to question that.

Just to backup what I was saying have a read of this.

https://www.thatsfarming.com/news/farmers-alert-dangers-bulls

There’s plenty of good stock bulls out there that aren’t wicked.ai is another option. The first sign of an animal going wicked and it’s finished for the factory or gone straight if they are fit to go.
The practice of keeping a wicked stock bull or a heifer you need an ambulance on speed dial for is bad practice at best and frankly idiotic and dangerous.
Farming is dangerous enough already without making it more so.breed for docility.
And I’m in no way in support of trespassing on private land by the way.theres plenty of public spaces away from farms and livestock for walking in.

joeguevara · 03-08-2020 3:23am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

There’s plenty of good stock bulls out there that aren’t wicked.ai is another option. The first sign of an animal going wicked and it’s finished for the factory or gone straight if they are fit to go.
The practice of keeping a wicked stock bull or a heifer you need an ambulance on speed dial for is bad practice at best and frankly idiotic and dangerous.
Farming is dangerous enough already without making it more so.breed for docility.
And I’m in no way in support of trespassing on private land by the way.theres plenty of public spaces away from farms and livestock for walking in.

Did you read the article that I linked in my post. It’s not about a wicked bull. Any bull is a threat to a person. If you are of the opinion that they are demure beasts and only a minority are wild and should be euthanised, then you obviously don’t know much about them. Also, as the article said, even the most timid one, can have a mood change when the mounting season is on.

Doctors room ghost · 03-08-2020 3:37am

joeguevara wrote: »

Did you read the article that I linked in my post. It’s not about a wicked bull. Any bull is a threat to a person. If you are of the opinion that they are demure beasts and only a minority are wild and should be euthanised, then you obviously don’t know much about them. Also, as the article said, even the most timid one, can have a mood change when the mounting season is on.

Most stock bulls in Ireland are fairly safe.thats why lads have them.star rated for easy calving and docile.they have to be when lads have to be around them in yards and fields.yes every animal has the potential to level a lad, and you can’t fully trust them but if you have an animal about the place that you need an ambulance on speed dial for you are an idiot Looking for hardship simple as.
Same as lads keeping and breeding from the same cow every year even though she’s lethal after calving.its dangerous carry on.
Sure even a ram could level you with your back turned but if he’s doing it every day it’s time to hang him up in the factory.

joeguevara · 03-08-2020 3:51am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Most stock bulls in Ireland are fairly safe.thats why lads have them.star rated for easy calving and docile.they have to be when lads have to be around them in yards and fields.yes every animal has the potential to level a lad, and you can’t fully trust them but if you have an animal about the place that you need an ambulance on speed dial for you are an idiot Looking for hardship simple as.
Same as lads keeping and breeding from the same cow every year even though she’s lethal after calving.its dangerous carry on.
Sure even a ram could level you with your back turned but if he’s doing it every day it’s time to hang him up in the factory.

Yeah, the ambulance thing doesn’t sound right. Was actually shocked when I read the article though and the deaths and injuries caused by them. Loved being a kid and putting the hand in to the sucky cows. The only injury I ever got was when I was helping out in my mums school for special needs kids and we went to a petting zoo. Having a great time until I thought it was a good idea to pet a goose. Cnut nearly took the top of my finger off. The person in charge looked at me in amazement until I barked at him, it’s a fcucking petting farm, why have something that would take your finger off.

Back to the OP, find a walking trail and stick to that. Thinking that farmland is open access is ignorant. Saying it’s a meadow and not someone’s garden is irrelevant. It’s private property and someone’s workplace. Ill just finish on the case of Farmer Mr Nally who was acquitted after beating Frog Ward 20 times with a stick and shooting him twice with a shotgun as he limped away.

Sheep breeder · 03-08-2020 7:19am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

What would you be doing keeping a dangerous stock bull or a dangerous heifer that you need an ambulance on speed dial for?
Where’s the sense in that?
Do yourself a favour for your own and your families safety and load them stock and have them killed in your local factory.not a mart where they might be bought and do damage to someone.
Either that or stop with the barstool sh1te tales and less of the drama.

First about stock bulls all bulls are potentially lethal to strangers who enter their domain and especially in the breeding season when they are at work with cows or heifers and are very protective as the dominant animal in the herd. Didn’t say or bulls were dangerous and a farmer can keep what bull he or she likes on their land.
Second the charolais heifer that I am talking about is very nervous around strangers and is normal with us and we know her temperament and as for star rating is 5 star for docility.
Any animal has the potential to flick the switch at any time and has being stated in another post the amount of people killed on farm with livestock.
Why walk farm land with stock present, when you do not know what they are like and bringing a dog is seriously stupid thing to do.
Best thing is walk on your own land and no hazardous stock to worry about.

Doctors room ghost · 03-08-2020 7:52am

Sheep breeder wrote: »

First about stock bulls all bulls are potentially lethal to strangers who enter their domain and especially in the breeding season when they are at work with cows or heifers and are very protective as the dominant animal in the herd. Didn’t say or bulls were dangerous and a farmer can keep what bull he or she likes on their land.
Second the charolais heifer that I am talking about is very nervous around strangers and is normal with us and we know her temperament and as for star rating is 5 star for docility.
Any animal has the potential to flick the switch at any time and has being stated in another post the amount of people killed on farm with livestock.
Why walk farm land with stock present, when you do not know what they are like and bringing a dog is seriously stupid thing to do.
Best thing is walk on your own land and no hazardous stock to worry about.

I never said people should be walking other people’s land.
The opposite in fact I said I believe nobody has any business being on other people’s private land.
There’s any amount of public areas available to walk in without the need to trespass.
What do you do about the heifer when there’s contractors or the vet or the lad scanning in.do you warn them she’s a header. If it was me being honest she would be fattened and killed. Not worth the risk having her about the place. If you had elderly relatives with poor mobility she would have them in the field.

whelan2 · 03-08-2020 8:06am

Even the quietest bull or cow can turn mental in certain situations. If someone comes in with a dog or kids for example . Normally a farmer will have a stick and let a roar at the animal. Ordinary Joe soap will just run and animal coming after them

whisky_galore · 03-08-2020 8:40am

Ill just finish on the case of Farmer Mr Nally who was acquitted after beating Frog Ward 20 times with a stick and shooting him twice with a shotgun as he limped away.

Yeah because that was exactly the same thing as a casual walker and happens every day of course.

whisky_galore · 03-08-2020 8:48am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Wasn't it mentioned on here before that no farmer had ever been successfully sued by a walker/uninvited person on farmland?

That makes no odds really. There's always a first time. Let's not pretend compo culture isn't a thing here.

Still waters · 03-08-2020 9:06am

Donald Trump wrote: »

Commonage is still owned is it not? It's not public. It's land which is owned in common

Correct

harr · 03-08-2020 9:12am

I am from the country but not farming back ground and as a child and teenager I could wander where I wanted be that for fishing or just out walking, always taught by my dad to respect the land and to leave no trace and gates to be closed and I teach my kids the same .

The unfortunate thing is now people have no respect for other people’s property and I can’t really blame the farmer for being cautious.. even fishing now the crap people leave behind is shocking and I see it on land I walk ( with permission) gates open , people wandering through crops or into fields with bulls and they don’t even walk the tracks up along the side of fields .
I have walked in countries with the open policy and people are a lot more respectful of the land compared to Ireland.

Framing friend has issues with day trippers wandering his land looking for a fairy ring he has on his land , they block gateways for hours and you can follow the trails of rubbish across the 3 fields.

John Hutton · 03-08-2020 9:17am

I regularly walk across farmers fields. My situation is a little different in that I do it to visit prominent historical antiquities, ruins etc. I wouldn't be walking across fields for no reason or just to walk. Don't have a dog.

I rarely ask permission, only if I see the farmer or it's
close to a house. Out of the hundreds of times I have done it I have only had an issue a handful of times. Most farmers accept that having a prominent ruin or antiquity on their land means people will visit it and if they see you're not a scumbag and have a genuine interest in it they tend to be fairly proud to show the ruin off.

Only on one occasion was a farmer nasty. I was visiting a medieval ruin of a church, with a very old graveyard in it. I had to cross about 500 meters of field to get to it and he saw me, came over and started yelling, telling that I had no right to be there etc. Was really aggressive and unreasonable - people had been on the site for a 1000 years before him and as far as I was concerned I had a right to visit the site and in particular the graveyard which was in use up to the 17th century. He got me on a bad day and when he wouldn't let me get a word in edgeways I ended up telling him he'd get no luck stopping someone from visiting the dead and to f off and call the guards if he wanted. Turns out that one of the walls was recently disturbed with stone missing. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why he didn't want people there.

But that was just one farmer, the vast majority have been sound. But I think crossing the land to visit a national monument or ruin is altogether different than just randomly walking around fields.

I don't enter the field if there is cattle if I haven't spoken to the farmer, it's too risky. Don't have a dog.

But lads, if you have a bull and it has shown any aggression to anyone get rid of it, it's not worth it.

On a right to roam, I don't really support it but I would support rights of way to visit national monuments, antiquities etc being enshrined in law (rather than merely implied as is the case currently). This is because these ruins and antiquities predate us all and I feel they belong to the people of Ireland not any private individual. (And to be fair most farmers seem to share this and tend to be proud of the ruins on their land).

What would be helpful would be if farmers stuck a sign with their telephone number on the gate of fields that contain such ruins, would have no objection to ringing the farmer and asking permission. In parts of the country it can be difficult to track down who owns the land and where they live which is why I generally don't ask permission. On many occasions I have knocked on the door of houses bordering fields and they haven't the foggiest who owns the field! Which seems mad to me but there you go.

whisky_galore · 03-08-2020 9:18am

I see a number of websites and travel supplements on about so called "wild" camping now. Inevitably there's going to be heaps of refuse and discarded tents now, it'll be like the aftermath of a festival.

harr · 03-08-2020 9:41am

whisky_galore wrote: »

I see a number of websites and travel supplements on about so called "wild" camping now. Inevitably there's going to be heaps of refuse and discarded tents now, it'll be like the aftermath of a festival.

This has happened numerous times already this summer unfortunately, one wild campsite in Wicklow was left in shocking state.

Mad_maxx · 03-08-2020 9:43am

Deleted User wrote: »

Wasn't it mentioned on here before that no farmer had ever been successfully sued by a walker/uninvited person on farmland?

Well seeing as the law do little to nothing about tinkers coursing and intimidating land owners, I somehow doubt much is done about otherwise peaceful rural ramblers?

I've two acres and nine sheep, doubt I encounter this issue but I've seen it on the neighbours land, permission should be sought as a courtesy in my view

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 9:49am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Most stock bulls in Ireland are fairly safe.thats why lads have them.star rated for easy calving and docile.they have to be when lads have to be around them in yards and fields.yes every animal has the potential to level a lad, and you can’t fully trust them but if you have an animal about the place that you need an ambulance on speed dial for you are an idiot Looking for hardship simple as.
Same as lads keeping and breeding from the same cow every year even though she’s lethal after calving.its dangerous carry on.
Sure even a ram could level you with your back turned but if he’s doing it every day it’s time to hang him up in the factory.

Of course a wicked one needs to go as soon as they are known to be dangerous in that way. But there aren't any that don't have the potential for danger.

There would even be the odd bullock that you'd know you shouldn't go into a field without bringing a good stick with you. Because you'd be looking at them every day and you'd recognise that he's getting a bit dodgy, even if he never does anything.

Cattle will also often run at dogs. That can become very dangerous for a person who panics

A bull is a completely different kettle of fish. No stranger should go near a bull regardless of how quiet he is.

Mad_maxx · 03-08-2020 10:01am

whisky_galore wrote: »

They have a sense of civic responsibility and mutual respect.

We have protective, suspicious landowners vs. Irresponsible Joe public, leaves his rubbish after him, and not adverse to pulling a compo claim.

Very true, the nordics have a different culture altogether in that regard

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 10:01am

John Hutton wrote: »

I regularly walk across farmers fields. My situation is a little different in that I do it to visit prominent historical antiquities, ruins etc. I wouldn't be walking across fields for no reason or just to walk. Don't have a dog.

I rarely ask permission, only if I see the farmer or it's
close to a house. Out of the hundreds of times I have done it I have only had an issue a handful of times. Most farmers accept that having a prominent ruin or antiquity on their land means people will visit it and if they see you're not a scumbag and have a genuine interest in it they tend to be fairly proud to show the ruin off.

Only on one occasion was a farmer nasty. I was visiting a medieval ruin of a church, with a very old graveyard in it. I had to cross about 500 meters of field to get to it and he saw me, came over and started yelling, telling that I had no right to be there etc. Was really aggressive and unreasonable - people had been on the site for a 1000 years before him and as far as I was concerned I had a right to visit the site and in particular the graveyard which was in use up to the 17th century. He got me on a bad day and when he wouldn't let me get a word in edgeways I ended up telling him he'd get no luck stopping someone from visiting the dead and to f off and call the guards if he wanted. Turns out that one of the walls was recently disturbed with stone missing. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why he didn't want people there.

But that was just one farmer, the vast majority have been sound. But I think crossing the land to visit a national monument or ruin is altogether different than just randomly walking around fields.

I don't enter the field if there is cattle if I haven't spoken to the farmer, it's too risky. Don't have a dog.

But lads, if you have a bull and it has shown any aggression to anyone get rid of it, it's not worth it.

On a right to roam, I don't really support it but I would support rights of way to visit national monuments, antiquities etc being enshrined in law (rather than merely implied as is the case currently). This is because these ruins and antiquities predate us all and I feel they belong to the people of Ireland not any private individual. (And to be fair most farmers seem to share this and tend to be proud of the ruins on their land).

What would be helpful would be if farmers stuck a sign with their telephone number on the gate of fields that contain such ruins, would have no objection to ringing the farmer and asking permission. In parts of the country it can be difficult to track down who owns the land and where they live which is why I generally don't ask permission. On many occasions I have knocked on the door of houses bordering fields and they haven't the foggiest who owns the field! Which seems mad to me but there you go.

I think that rights of access exists to national monuments. I don't know how the upcoming rule changes with respect to registering rights of way might affect those.

If you are doing it yourself regularly and for a purpose, it is likely that you know what you are doing and most people wouldn't have an issue with that. If you scrape your hand on a briar, then you probably aren't going to make any sort of a deal about it. A landowner would be worried about the minority who would decide to go out for a ramble in a field, with their dog and drone, get that scrape and try to sue the landowner for not having erected a "beware of briars" sign.

Sure it was only in the last 10 years or so that lads had to start putting up the signs at gates "warning" people that they were entering a farm. Was there some law change at that time? I can't remember exactly. The signs state the bleedin' obvious, but lads needed to have them up to protect themselves.

patsy_mccabe · 03-08-2020 10:03am

We operate the 3 S's approach with walkers. Shoot, shovel and shut-up.

_Brian · 03-08-2020 10:05am

I think it’s important to remember that farm theft is a massive problem.

Very often farms are scouted out by lads hare coursing, walking or cars arriving into the yard “looking for directions”, or vans selling gates or tools.

Roaming about farmland without permission or reason is likely to be met with suspicion at best and we don’t allow it for any reason, we don’t let local hunts or gun club in either because of their behaviour in the past.

People need to think about their garden at home, how would you feel about people jumping the fence and roaming about looking at the flowers and looking in the windows, leaving the gate open so the dog escapes. Farmland is afforded the exact same level of private ownership as your back garden.

whelan2 · 03-08-2020 10:10am

We have 2 people who regularly walk our land. Have done for years. One bought a site off us 40 years ago. He walked our fields everyday with his dog. No problem. A few bottles of his homemade wine for us at Christmas. His daughter built a house beside his and bought a site from us. She left a little gate to allow herself to walk our fields. She never asked about the gate just assumed it was ok. The gate originally was spring loaded which was fine. Then the spring broke and the gate was being left open. They would bring their kids up the fields most evenings. I would have to check to see if gate was closed before letting cows into the field. I said it to them and all I got was a big laugh back. I put up a barbed wire fence around the gate and a big sign saying that this was a farm and safety was paramount etc. They haven't been on my land since. The father died last year.

coathanger · 03-08-2020 10:17am

I’m a townie living in the countryside 15 years & have asked the local farmers permission to walk their fields with my on lead dogs . I wouldn’t of walking the fields otherwise!! I also never enter fields where there’s livestock or crops growing. It’s basic good manners , this is their livelihood you are tramping on , can’t believe people would walk in the fields without permission tbh

Mooooo · 03-08-2020 10:19am

The theft issue is very real. A lot of the farming population are older may have a , justifiable in a lot cases, fear of the farm being cased or whatever.
In a perfect world there would be no issue but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and as such we all make decisions to protect ourselves so it would be a no from me tbh.
Also on the livestock and safety issue, it isn't just bulls or cow's with calves to be weary off. I walk thru my incalf heifers everyday and you'd need your wits about you to stop them knocking and trampling you from the height of friendliness and curiosity. They may look smaller but they are still 4 to 500kgs fond of running and jumping. Have told neighbours with kids if anything goes into the field to ring me and I'd get whatever it is, when the heifers are there

Wildly Boaring · 03-08-2020 10:24am

As a student I worked for the local stud farm a fair bit.

They had 100s of acres with tillage or sucklers or empty. Horses were up near the yards.

Half the locality used wander the place. The owner was not worried about it. Went on for years and years.

One genius took this unwritten licence and wandered through the in-foal mates with a terrier. He didn't actually cause much upset as a worker copped him.

I spent the next week erecting signs and the owner spent the next 5 years running people.

I met him at the gate of a field of stubble last year. He's fine again with locals on stubble or fallow. Nothing green is his rule now.......

Mad_maxx · 03-08-2020 10:27am

joeguevara wrote: »

Yeah, the ambulance thing doesn’t sound right. Was actually shocked when I read the article though and the deaths and injuries caused by them. Loved being a kid and putting the hand in to the sucky cows. The only injury I ever got was when I was helping out in my mums school for special needs kids and we went to a petting zoo. Having a great time until I thought it was a good idea to pet a goose. Cnut nearly took the top of my finger off. The person in charge looked at me in amazement until I barked at him, it’s a fcucking petting farm, why have something that would take your finger off.

Back to the OP, find a walking trail and stick to that. Thinking that farmland is open access is ignorant. Saying it’s a meadow and not someone’s garden is irrelevant. It’s private property and someone’s workplace. Ill just finish on the case of Farmer Mr Nally who was acquitted after beating Frog Ward 20 times with a stick and shooting him twice with a shotgun as he limped away.

Sounds like you were near calves- letting them suck your hand as a child,not cows

Even a cow can kill with ease if they loose their temper, nevermind a bull

joeguevara · 03-08-2020 10:31am

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Sounds like you were near calves- letting them suck your hand as a child,not cows

Even a cow can kill with ease if they loose their temper, nevermind a bull

That gave me a flashback of the Alan partridge episode when he accused the farmer of having cows that would stand up on their back legs and shoot milk out of their udders.

thecomedian · 03-08-2020 10:38am

whelan2 wrote: »

We have 2 people who regularly walk our land. Have done for years. One bought a site off us 40 years ago. He walked our fields everyday with his dog. No problem. A few bottles of his homemade wine for us at Christmas. His daughter built a house beside his and bought a site from us. She left a little gate to allow herself to walk our fields. She never asked about the gate just assumed it was ok. The gate originally was spring loaded which was fine. Then the spring broke and the gate was being left open. They would bring their kids up the fields most evenings. I would have to check to see if gate was closed before letting cows into the field. I said it to them and all I got was a big laugh back. I put up a barbed wire fence around the gate and a big sign saying that this was a farm and safety was paramount etc. They haven't been on my land since. The father died last year.

I think this sums up the way our attitude has changed in just a generation.
It’s sad that that more people today have no or little respect for others.
To some farmers their farm is an extension to the garden.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 03-08-2020 10:39am

whelan2 wrote: »

Hopefully there was some stinky baby nappies in there

I had that problem a good few years ago now on land I had rented. No amount of asking would stop them. So I told the landlord and he told me to let it to him, he'd sort it.

He can in over the winter and cut and baled the half acre of ground that had the nappies on it. Got a loader in with a bale handler and dropped 5 or 6 bales of grass and nappies over the hedge into their back yard and drove away.

I think the message got through:)

Buford T. Justice XIX · 03-08-2020 10:50am

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Do farmers pick up their own dogs poo in the fields?

No, we don't have to. When a neighbour had a breakdown from Neospora a good while back, he was told to worm his dogs and keep them away from the grazing ground and especially the silage ground as mixing the infected faeces through the feed for a lot of cattle is more dangerous for infection. He also had his dogs tested and they passed with no danger of infecting his cattle.
He also lost about 10% of his herd from abortion and infertility because of it.

Neospora is contagious in dog faeces for a short period of time, the link below has more details about it.

https://afs.ca.uky.edu/dairy/neospora-caninum-abortion-cattle#:~:text=Neospora%20caninum%20is%20a%20protozoan,calves%20and%20abortion%20in%20cattle.&text=Once%20infected%2C%20a%20cow%20can,every%20pregnancy%20throughout%20her%20lifetime.

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 11:01am

thecomedian wrote: »

I think this sums up the way our attitude has changed in just a generation.
It’s sad that that more people today have no or little respect for others.
To some farmers their farm is an extension to the garden.

A generation or two ago if a couple of cows broke out and ran into a neighbours garden for an hour, the neighbours would probably be happy that their grass was eaten down and that they got some free fertiliser for the roses.

If it happened now, they'd be happy that they could use a few lumps of shite left lying around as an excuse to get Dermot Bannon in to re-landscape the entire garden and send the bill to the farmer.

If those people left the garden gate open and the cattle went into their garden - the owner of the cattle is liable because you have an obligation to keep your own stock fenced in.

bucketybuck · 03-08-2020 11:23am

The ironic thing is that when I was a kid, the last thing I would have done is go near the farmhouse or yard, cutting across a field or playing up at a fairy fort is one thing but you didn't be annoying the neighbours by wandering around their buildings or yards.

I find it sad that farmers have such a chip on their shoulders about kids playing in a field these days, don't give me that ****e about bulls and dangerous cows, those are just handy excuses and you know it. Its no wonder kids are glued to their phones these days when they can't even go exploring in the fresh air. Travellers and those big hiking groups, sure, gangs like that can **** right off, but a local man out for a wander is doing no harm to anybody.

It was there before you and it will be there long after you.

joeguevara · 03-08-2020 11:25am

Donald Trump wrote: »

A generation or two ago if a couple of cows broke out and ran into a neighbours garden for an hour, the neighbours would probably be happy that their grass was eaten down and that they got some free fertiliser for the roses.

If it happened now, they'd be happy that they could use a few lumps of shite left lying around as an excuse to get Dermot Bannon in to re-landscape the entire garden and send the bill to the farmer.

If those people left the garden gate open and the cattle went into their garden - the owner of the cattle is liable because you have an obligation to keep your own stock fenced in.

About a year ago I was telling my mate of the time I dropped a medal I had won as a kid in the community games in the cattle grid. He stopped me and asked what the fcuck a cattle grid was. When I tried to explain to him that loads of houses in the country would dig a big hole in the drive way and then have a grid over it to stop cows from trampling the front garden. No matter what I said he was convinced that I was bat sh1t crazy or was spinning him the most outrageous yarn I could think of to pull the p1ss.

whelan2 · 03-08-2020 11:32am

bucketybuck wrote: »

The ironic thing is that when I was a kid, the last thing I would have done is go near the farmhouse or yard, cutting across a field or playing up at a fairy fort is one thing but you didn't be annoying the neighbours by wandering around their buildings or yards.

I find it sad that farmers have such a chip on their shoulders about kids playing in a field these days, don't give me that ****e about bulls and dangerous cows, those are just handy excuses and you know it. Its no wonder kids are glued to their phones these days when they can't even go exploring in the fresh air. Travellers and those big hiking groups, sure, gangs like that can **** right off, but a local man out for a wander is doing no harm to anybody.

It was there before you and it will be there long after you.

There was no compensation culture years ago. If johnny fell and broke his arm swinging out of a tree his mother would give him a slap on the head for being so stupid . Nowadays solicitor is on speed dial

ganmo · 03-08-2020 11:53am

bucketybuck wrote: »

The ironic thing is that when I was a kid, the last thing I would have done is go near the farmhouse or yard, cutting across a field or playing up at a fairy fort is one thing but you didn't be annoying the neighbours by wandering around their buildings or yards.

I find it sad that farmers have such a chip on their shoulders about kids playing in a field these days, don't give me that ****e about bulls and dangerous cows, those are just handy excuses and you know it. Its no wonder kids are glued to their phones these days when they can't even go exploring in the fresh air. Travellers and those big hiking groups, sure, gangs like that can **** right off, but a local man out for a wander is doing no harm to anybody.

It was there before you and it will be there long after you.

In my experience a single walker is often scouting a route to bring their walking group either next year or the year after.
An inch becomes a mile in no time.

Donald Trump · 03-08-2020 11:54am

whelan2 wrote: »

There was no compensation culture years ago. If johnny fell and broke his arm swinging out of a tree his mother would give him a slap on the head for being so stupid . Nowadays solicitor is on speed dial

Farmer allows hunt to enter his lands. 36 year old woman on horse is told not to jump over a particular bush. Said woman tries it anyway, falls off and tries to sue both farmer and the hunt

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/news/courts/hunt-accident-horse-riders-loses-high-court-case-against-hunt-and-land-owner-38122293.html

Given that the farmer allowed the hunt to enter, you'd assume that there was a certain amount of goodwill or history to that.........but his goodness left him in the High Court

How do you feel about walkers on your land?

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