Please use the countryside responsibly- so fed up

[jacks11]

On a rare day off from my day job, I have once again spent the day dealing with a series of thoughtless and/or completely entitled idiots behaving totally irresponsibly on our land. I had thought the one (very small) silver lining of this awful situation would be that this lambing season would see us free from so many problems from people out for a walk etc. But still having issues.

Today I stopped no fewer than 7 families traipsing through either the yard, our garden (one family stopping to have a seat on the picnic table/bench in our garden) or the lambing sheds to have a look. One family also stopped off to admire the lambs in one of the fields then preceded to take there youngish children (under 10) into said fields to see them closer. Several gates left open, people climbing over gates etc. I caught someone feeding our old pony apples and a doughnut! We’ve had rubbish being dropped. Dogs off leads etc.

What I cannot understand is how so many are getting to us- they must be breaching the guidance to only exercise locally or walking at least 7 miles from the nearest village. Which I doubt with the ages of some of the children.

When DH politely approached the family in our garden they were really rude, citing their “right to roam”- not even slightly apologetic when pointed out they were in our garden so they had no right to be there. Ditto several other people- don’t seem to realise right to roam does not apply to private gardens or land used for commercial reasons- I.e. yards/lambing sheds and you must behave responsibly (e.g. close gates, don’t let dogs off leads near livestock, don’t leave rubbish, don’t worry livestock, don’t walk across crops etc).

When you add in the situation with Covid, you’d think people would be careful about touching gates etc unnecessarily- but no. Lots of people have vulnerable family members and this is just an added headache- having to constantly be aware that people may have touched the gates/railings/doors etc.

Please use the countryside responsibly- some of us live on the land you are using as a playground. You are putting our livestock at risk- please don’t feed livestock/horses for that reason- and sometimes yourself in danger. There is no excuse for leaving rubbish.

Rant over!!

I’m sorry to hear that your land has been abused by selfish people. They clearly don’t usually go out into the countryside else they’d be able to work out what is private or public land.
Maybe call the police if you see people on your land again.

What is wrong with people! I would start putting up signs

As I'm sure you know everyone in the farming community is having issues with this at the moment.

It's bad enough in normal life but this year it is especially aggravating.

Amazing how many people hear 'stay at home but you can nip out locally to walk the dog, or stretch your legs' and translate that as being it's ok to drive 7 miles somewhere else and then have a wander round someone else's property and have a picnic because it's outside so it doesn't count.

They clearly don’t usually go out into the countryside else they’d be able to work out what is private or public land

Sigh

This is part of the problem though (sorry). Nearly all footpaths pass through private land. The footpaths just allow a right of access over the footpath from A to B, it doesn't make the land the footpath passes through any more public than someone's garden.

But because it's the countryside and we can't enforce it people and their dogs (literally) shit all over us.

Keep away from lambs and sheep you fucking morons. Keep your dogs on a lead.

Are you in Scotland? Wondered with the reference to 'right to roam'. In England it's more a case of sticking to footpaths I believe.

These people are the reason this lock down is going to go on for months - the ones who think the rules don't apply to them.

YANBU, but be prepared to be roasted. 'I'm allowed!' 'Daily exercise is imperative! You should be glad so many are exercising.' 'They were exercising! Vit D and immune system and lung health!' 'My dogs need a lot of exercise.'

I agree Op.
I’m not involved in farming but I enjoy the countryside and always have done. Fed up with the increased dog poo, out of control dogs and kids

I'm sorry this happens to you.
Joe public is a selfish idiot.

Clearly people doing as you describe are out of order. But they are probably not locals? I’d assume most people living within striking distance of farms are a bit more aware. People just sticking to footpaths through farms are actually doing no wrong. We’re in a rural town and I’m a bit sick of hearing how we can’t walk in the local park because its busy, and we can’t walk through farms (pretty much all local footpaths go through farms) because farmers might get germs from a gate and have no hand sanitiser, the latest rant on our town fb page (never mind the fact farmers must spend most of the working day touching a mix of toxins so not sure what’s happened to their regular hygiene regimes). It all feels a bit like some people have just been waiting for an excuse to yell ‘get orfff my land’ for years and now they think they have one. I’ve found the most trouble free place to go is a short drive away to local woodland with plenty of footpaths, but we’re not really meant to do that either, and apparently cycling is basically criminal now so whatever we do we’re pissing someone off.

Oh my god what is the MATTER with people?! I’m so sorry OP that must be so incredibly frustrating.

Yanbu. Some people are selfish idiots.
Thankfully the majority are mucking in.

YANBU

Keep your dog on a lead and clean up after it
Do NOT feed the animals
Have a map of where the footpath goes and stick to it
Don’t leave your rubbish behind you
Shut gates
No your child cannot touch the animals

It’s not difficult, is it?

We make a point of not using footpaths that go directly through farmyards, there are loads of farms where I am and also plenty of other routes. The one path we do use goes directly through a farmyard, the farmer has resorted to penning in the fence either side so the path just runs through it and he no.longer has people gormlessly walking in the cattle shed or people sitting their toddlers on his tractors for photos. 🙄

Yes, people do have a 'right to roam' but that right shouldn't come above the rights of farmers not wanting their work disrupted or animals harmed.

Yanbu. I've always wanted to follow people home and return the favour, see how they enjoy random people traipsing through their home and trashing it. Entitled townie cunts need to fuck off back there.

On a previous thread I said the emergency legislation should have included the right to shoot trespassers. Obviously I was only joking at the time. Now I think a taser would be more than justifiable. And an automatic £2k fine for anyone found feeding/ distressing or otherwise distressing horses and livestock.

You have my sympathies OP. It’s a huge issue at the moment, I work with farmers in my job and all of them are reporting massively increased foot traffic on their land and lots of anti social behaviour.

Not sure if this will be any help but Defra/Natural England have been lobbied by the NFU about this specific issue and there is new guidance for farmers - you can now make temporary changes to rights of way if people are causing problems on your land: www.nfuonline.com/news/coronavirus-updates-and-advice/coronavirus-news/coronavirus-guidance-on-public-rights-of-way/

The NFU have also created signs for you do download and put up (I think you can only download if you are a member).

I’ve seen our local farmers having similar issues, also with crops being damaged because people won’t stick to footpaths and are trampling down new growth.

I bet a tenner they’re all clapping to support keyworkers on a Thursday though...

Some people are just so incredibly stupid. Stick signs up saying bull in field do not enter is like a invitation to them.

@Peapod29 Literally snorted at 'regular hygiene practices'. The countryside isn't a fucking giant outdoor office with hand washing facilities in every field. We all have pretty robust immune systems for all the usual 'toxins' as you describe them, because of frequent exposure, in many cases from birth. But farmers aren't some unique species with natural immunity to Coronavirus.

Some people deserve to be told off in a very blunt way to come back where they came from.
Several cases of people and their dogs harassing ewes, it’s lambing season you plonkers!
As for the gates left open- don’t get me started on that.
Who cares if the cattle/sheep/horse will go on the road and get killed 😡😡😡

People complaining on fb. Posts being removed by admins because of all this “be kind” shit and let’s be nicey, nicey and “so lovely that your doggy chased this cute lamb on the field and you had your exercise hun”

People like this should absolutely be called on their behaviour and charged hefty fine if caught in the act.

Words fail me.Selfish, irresponsible, disrespectful morons.

You'd think the locals would know better!! However, the locals from our village are the worst... this lockdown means they've discovered us and our public footpath. We now have a lane full of dog shit and people wandering aimlessly through our yard (that's not part of the footpath).

I'm going to sit out on a rocking chair with a banjo and a shotgun. Joke!

I’d assume most people living within striking distance of farms are a bit more aware

You would think. They are are often the worst unfortunately because they see it as 'theirs' and somehow exempt from the rules that apply to everyone else.

regular hygiene practices Snort

Where does one wash ones hands between several fields exactly?

There was a thread on MN a few years ago from a poster whose sheep aborted after being chased by children. I always thought it should have been read and pictures shown in every school. Farms are not playgrounds and are not like city farms you can visit.

I'd bet it isn't locals though. It'll be arsewipes who've made a nice picnic and got in their cars to go to the countryside. These are the people who should be fined massively.