Smells from farm

[DoAhhDiddy]

Call me stupid but we bought a house a few months ago next to a dairy farm and the smell is horrific. I’d say 4 days out of a week it’s bad.

There is cow muck running down the lane into field next to our house, so we have to drive through it to get into our property and end up with stinky car inside and out.

We did lots of research before we bought, spoke with farmer, spoke with neighbour, drove past loads of times during all types of weather (mainly summer) as we had reservations about proximity to farm, but the smell wasn’t prevalent or close to the property. Maybe a little whiff down the Lane but nothing like this.

We expected a bit of a smell now and then, particularly when they are spreading and could put up with say 7 days out of the month it being a bit smelly, but not for the majority of the time.

Can we expect the smell to improve when the cows are put out to pasture in the spring? If we have to then we’ll speak with the farmer to resolve but if that doesn’t help, what constitutes a smell nuisance and who do you report to? I really don’t think I’m going to be able to settle here unless it gets better.

All advice welcome!

My cattle farmer DH raised his eyebrows when I read him this!!

I've heard of townies around here complaining about the smells and that we should have to post notice in the local paper/ do a leaflet drop before spreading slurry. Right..... I'll just get a 100% accurate weather forecast and do that

I'll tell you a story. There was a city woman who once married a man in farm and move there. Every day she would complain of the smell to her husband and brush every thing around the house and the street to get rid of the smell. One day she proudly said to her husband that she managed to get rid of the smell.

She hadn't. She just got used it it.

So dear OP the moral of the story is that you will get used to it. It probably smells more right now due to wet conditions. I lived in a village back home for a few years. Now remember, I am from a south asian country. Cows roam freely in the street of the village and do their business every where. Some women would collect it, mix it with hay and slap it on walls to let them dry out and store them to use as fuel in winters. You can now imagine how bad the smell was for us city kids. Guess what, we got used to it. So will you.

This.

I love the smell of farming. It’s real work, producing our food. You should be thankful, OP.

Lol we live near a dairy farm and the other week they were moving the cows from one field to another along a road I was driving down. I had to sit and wait for 20 minutes whilst about 300 cows walked past and some had big collars on and kept stopping by my bloody bonnet to sniff it and the collars scratched my bonnet a bit. I couldn't have given less of a shit because I love living here and it's part of the joy of living in the country!

That's the thing, once your custom to it, it stops smelling

The shit should not be running down the road actually, as it will find its way into watercourses, where it seriously damages the ecosystem. Agricultural pollution damages rivers even more than sewage does - which is a lot.

In theory the Environment Agency is supposed to monitor and control this sort of thing, issue fines, etc. So you could try reporting the stuff on the road (and not mention the smell as they would be less interested I think ). Unfortuantely our beloved government have not been keen to support the environment agency with enough staff or powers to tackle all this so it might not get you anywhere. It would partly depend on how much it was, but it sounds like run-off from a poorly covered midden, or overflow from a badly protected tank/pond.

Not having made a complaint to EA myself, I don't know if they are anonymous. But sticking to the issue of the highway would help disguise the source if EA don't pass that bit on.

Just be grateful it isn't battery chickens. they really do stink 😷

We love rurally too. Constantly stinks of something but I don't care. Can't even get out of the house on the day they move the sheep / cattle out to the fields on spring.

What did you expect? It's wet, you live next to a farm.

I don't mind farm smells as it happens. Much prefer it to petrol fumes. Can you just stick it out until you're used to it?

All advice welcome

I advise you to move back to a fragrant town.

What is actually running down the road?

PLEASE record yourself asking the farmer to "resolve" it!!!

I have lived within a few hundred yards of two farms my whole life bar a few months, and sometimes it is really stinky (muck spreading week would strip the paint off your walls!). But most of the time it isnt and the odd whiff is just the price you pay for a beautiful rural location.

We have had demanding townies move here and then go apeshit on the village FB group about the smell, demanding that "something should be done". Invariably the group comes back with "The thing that should be done is you to move house or get used to it". A farm that has been there for hundreds of years is not suddenly going to stop being a farm because an entitled townie objects, cop on to yourself!

Also, if the farmer "resolves" it, it will be by selling their land which will be bought by a developer and you will have a lego land of an estate right next door......which you wont like either (wouldnt blame you) because it ruins your views, causes over sub at the local school and parking nightmares.

Cant have it all ways.

We only have OPs word that there is slurry running down the road.

it's far more likely the road is just dirty because it's winter in the countryside.

I live on a farm and the road in and out is always muddy at this time of year and it has absolutely nothing to do with cows or poor slurry management as that's all 500m away at the other end of the yard.

I've no idea how OP is getting cow shit IN her car by driving through it (if that's what it is!?)

dairy farms are regularly inspected, both by Farm Assurance and by their dairies, it's highly unlikely they would get away with poor slurry management for long.

Come back OP 🐄 🐮

My first thought was that this must be a troll, but knowing as many farmers and smallholders as I do, I know how many imbeciles they put up with who have requests like this 😂😂

You've never heard of Luna the show jumping cow?! 🐄

Yeah, Dairy cattle stink, not sure about letting the the cow muck run down the lane to the field, think the farmers being a bit naughty there.

Show jumping cow post was supposed to also quote this one.......

This has to go into classics 😂😂😂😂

Yeah op country living isn't like a magazine spread.

Mud
Smells
Trying to keep house or car clean is an impossible mission.
The eleventy billion flies in the summer in your house.
Animals being loud night and day.
The constant driving everywhere
The list is endless

I love every bit of it (well, maybe not the flies)💖

It will be a bit better in the summer yes

You must know that words with the farmer and complaints will get you nowhere, although it will provide a lot of local amusement

Just sell up. Living in a farming area involves smelling shit rather a lot of the time, there is no cure for that

"What came ye into the wilderness to see..."

I would love to watch the conversation with the farmer when you approach him to resolve this 😂😂 You bought a house next to a dairy farm and you are only now realising that cows smell? There is no solution except to move I’m afraid! I’m sure the farmer is too busy to find time to try and prevent his cows from pooing or rebuild his farm so that the poo smell blows downwind or something! I love the smell of cow poo though so I think YABVU 😂

Brilliant. They can be bloody noisy in the summer so maybe go for noise pollution too. Bastard smelly cows.

Bovine Lynx?

I will swap with you OP, I adore the smell of a dairy farm, grew up on one and the smell instantly whisk me back me time.

Please don't talk to the farmer, you will just look very very silly, I have heard tell of a farmer who 'accidentally' engaged the muck spreader right outside someones house who had upset them, splattered the house in liquid shit from. top to bottom.

Call me stupid

You're stupid.

(well you did ask)

You’re kidding, right?

Tell me you’re kidding.