Following an enquiry from a village resident concerning cattle kept in fields that have rights of way on them, please see the text of a letter from the Countryside Access Technical Officer of the Countryside Access Service at North Yorkshire Council.

"Landowners are entitled  to keep animals, including cows, on their land even where there is a Public Right of Way.  However, there are certain restrictions regarding cows in fields within which a right of way crosses. Bulls over 10 months old are permitted in a field crossed by a right of way, provided they are of a recognised beef breed and are with cows or heifers. It is good practice for landowners to provide signage to indicate the presence of a bull where there is a Public Right of Way.  There is no legal provision to request that landowners segregate livestock from users of a Public Right of Way.  We can only take action to investigate and inform the landowner if the livestock are acting aggressively/intimidatingly towards members of the public using the Public Right of Way. 

Whilst cattle attacks and the consequences can be serious, they are relatively still rare.  Following the below principles is recommended when using rights of way through fields of cattle.

•             Always walk around cows with calves;

•             If they approach, walk slowly and if you have a dog ensure it is at heel, under control;

•             If cows chase you, let go of your dog. It can run faster than cattle and escape;

The Public Rights of Way Officer has looked at the photo provided and the cattle in the field are of a permitted breed to be in a field where a Public Right of Way crosses. If the  cows are acting and behaving in an intimidating or dangerous way , then members of the public can report this via our online reporting system that we have in place. Enquiries can still be sent to Paths, but reporting of issues needs to be through the website. One issue per report, This is the link:
https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/public-rights-way/rights-way-maintenance

Once a report is receive it is then investigated and the owner of the livestock informed."

We hope this is useful.