Farmers sheep keep escaping into my land.

[ycbm]

Thank you PaS. I've lived here twenty six years. In all that time, it has been a requirement in this area that the responsibly to stop stock straying is on the person who owns the stock.

 

[coss]

A traditional method used in France is to find the flock leader, the one all the others follow, and fit it with a "tribart".

This is a triangle made of three pieces of wood around the sheep's neck, with the ends crossing over by about two to four inches, or thereabouts.

You put one piece parallel to the ground under its neck (so it can still graze with no problem), the two others forming the triangle crossing above.

The idea is to make this one sheep incapable of crossing the gap in the fence; if any of the others get through, they will at least stay near the leader, and eventually of their own will go back through to stay with it.

I still see these fitted to one sheep in a flock in the northern part of Dordogne; they might be used a bit further east in Creuse and Corrèze, too.

Aside from this as a suggestion to make to the owner, I believe that you are in your legal right under the Animals Act of 1971 to seize any animal that comes onto your property and hold it until the owner makes reparation for any loss you suffer (through grazing on your land).

I think that this is probably a tort of trespass, so the Police won't be able to do anything, except perhaps to have a quiet word with the owner to confirm that he's in the wrong and you'd be within your rights to impound any sheep that stray into your field.

I believe that practise is banned in the UK now

 

[Cecile]

Actually that is not the case it is the the person that owns the land that is responsible for fencing unwanted animals out of their land, however the person that owns the animals that should ensure that they have adequate insurance cover (No less than £20,000,000 Twenty Million Pounds) in the event of their animals causing an accident. I am afraid that if you wish to keep your animals safe then you should adequately fence your land and although this is expensive it ensure that your animals will be safe.

Oh boy I'm sure all sheep owners are insured for £20,000,000.....
Since F&M the world has changed PN, you apply and are issued a holding number for your livestock, when you move them from one location to another location you have a movement licence, it is recorded, you can't go letting livestock wandering where they please, when they are moved from a holding number to another holding number your livestock are then on lock down/shut down/quarantine and no livestock can be moved on or off for a certainly amount of time. (The rules have been reduced but they are still there), forms, paperwork is recorded, copies sent in and can be inspected at any time by TS. Sheep are also tagged so that they can be traced back to the owner via TS

It is the livestock owner/keeper who is responsible for keeping the livestock within the holding number/area, not the next door neighbour with horses and nice post and rail which is perfect to keep her horses in, people are not responsible for other people's livestock and dogs and with the general attitude we are all doomed, people must learn to take control of their own animals and make sure they are not pestering or wandering all over the place.

When I was called upon to collect a sheep which was found wandering around a housing estate, I knew the minute it came onto my property I was on lock down, thankfully that sheep had a tag and TS were able to phone the owner very easily

Equally if this farmer wishes to keep his sheep safe and doesn't want TS crawling all over his paperwork and inspecting his holding it would be wise for him to keep his animals in the correct place, escapes happen once they happen it needs to be sorted out by the owner not paid for by the rest of the community/next door neighbour or anyone else, the buck stops with the owner whose animals are going walkabouts, just imagine if a livestock keeper wanted to use all of his land for sheep but wouldn't spend money on fencing - all he/she would have to do is move his sheep near to a house or some land and sit back and expect that homeowner or landowner to rush out fencing them out of their property.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I believe that practise is banned in the UK now

Do you mean the impounding of animals that stray, or the idea of paintballing, or the idea of food colouring?

Below, text taken from Stevenage Council's website.

Other animals

Under the Animal Act 1971 the Council can impound any livestock which has strayed onto Council land.

The animals are only returned to their owners after payment for any damages and expenses incurred.

Livestock that has strayed onto private land may also be impounded, at the written request of the landowner.

If known, the owner of the animal will be informed that the animal has strayed onto Council land, and giving details of where it can be collected within a given time, subject to the payment for any damage caused, and expense incurred.

We will notify the police of the straying animal and inform them that we intend to impound it.

After a certain time, we will arrange for the animal to be impounded and removed to a suitable establishment where it will be held.

The animal will be returned, on satisfactory proof of ownership and the payment for any damage caused, and expense incurred.

If any animal has not been claimed after a given time, it will be sold. If the owner appears after this time and produces satisfactory proof of ownership, any monies received will be given to the owner less the cost of any damage caused, and expense incurred.

This seems to confirm that that the Animal Act of 1971 is still in force. Here, the question is of an animal straying onto land owned by the council, but I don't see how this if different to any other landowner.

So if an animal strays onto your land, you can impound it until the owner of the animal comes to collect it, and you are entitled to recover the cost of any damage suffered, including the loss of grazing while the animal was on your land plus the cost of caring for the animal while impounded.

If I'm wrong, please correct me.

 

[coss]

Do you mean the impounding of animals that stray, or the idea of paintballing, or the idea of food colouring?

Below, text taken from Stevenage Council's website.



This seems to confirm that that the Animal Act of 1971 is still in force. Here, the question is of an animal straying onto land owned by the council, but I don't see how this if different to any other landowner.

So if an animal strays onto your land, you can impound it until the owner of the animal comes to collect it, and you are entitled to recover the cost of any damage suffered, including the loss of grazing while the animal was on your land plus the cost of caring for the animal while impounded.

If I'm wrong, please correct me.

the putting a triangle of wood round the neck

 

[Keith_Beef]

the putting a triangle of wood round the neck

OK, thanks. I suppose it's something in one of the animal welfare acts.