There's no doggy right to roam on a farm field
We've been looking after our daughter's dog while she was on holiday and we talked about where we usually walk her, writes Rosemary Allen.
But it's not easy, with the different, almost contradictory rules of "right to roam", public footpaths and "access".
Our first dog was a wedding present 50 years ago, when we lived in a cottage in a field surrounded by woods, so walking was a breeze. From then until now, we mostly had our own space, and no problems. There've been a couple of spells when we had to use leads and walk on pavements, but it wasn't too bad.
Now we only have a garden, so our last dog walked to fields with footpaths.
When we had our own fields, we naturally thought they were ours. They weren't public parks with open access, but people were welcome to use footpaths for rambling, walking their dogs or riding. People with gardens definitely don't think others should walk them there. So how are fields different?
Of course this is very controversial, but our daughter, who was brought up on the farm, seems to see it differently now she's on the edge of a village, and thinks fields are for walking her dog in whether there are footpaths or not. Luckily we have a friendly farmer here who doesn't mind, especially as it's only for a short while.
So, as I do, I decided to find out what "the law" says, ie Google! Not easy, but, according to the Ramblers' Association "Walkers can enjoy access to over a million hectares of mapped, uncultivated open countryside", and they "Are able to enjoy the open countryside and most mountain, moor, heath, down and common land". So not fields, then.
But even with the new freedom to roam, if they stray on to farmland or in gardens they are trespassing. Walkers may think it's selfish to not be allowed to let their dogs run on farmland, but the NFU warns of diseases livestock can get from dog poop.
Neosporosis causes abortion in cattle, and Sarcocystosis results in lamb carcasses being condemned and rejected at the abattoir. However, carrier dogs rarely show symptoms but their poop can contaminate grass, water, feed and forage.
As I said, we no longer have a dog, and I'm not sure we could cope with poop-picking like owners do now. They must really be serious dog lovers, and I commend them for it, but I find the sight of walkers swinging little bags as they go, quite bizarre, not to mention the gathering-up process.
I'm not sure I'll say any more to my daughter about the walker issue though!
* Rosemary Allen is a retired livestock farmer now living near Ellesmere and with her husband Peter is part of CowCash-UK
