{"id":26108,"date":"2023-04-26T16:13:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T14:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=143001"},"modified":"2023-04-26T16:35:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T14:35:41","slug":"adam-henson-farmers-have-a-responsibility-to-maintain-footpaths-on-their-land","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/adam-henson-farmers-have-a-responsibility-to-maintain-footpaths-on-their-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Henson: Farmers have a responsibility to maintain footpaths on their land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmers are not only guardians of the countryside \u2013 they also have a responsibility to keep public rights of way on their land clear and safe, says Adam Henson <\/p>

By Adam Henson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 26 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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A red-faced farmer waving an angry fist used to appear on television every weekend in my childhood. The animated public information film Joe and Petunia, featuring two crop-trampling litterbugs, would urge viewers to follow the Countryside Code with a warning not to irritate locals.<\/p>\n

These days, furious farmers \u2013 even cartoon ones \u2013 are rare, thankfully. Fifty years on, the Countryside Code<\/a> has changed, too, with a refreshed message encouraging people to respect, protect and enjoy the great outdoors. Still at the heart of the code are basic guidelines for ramblers, riders and visitors of all types to bear in mind: stay on paths and bridleways, don\u2019t drop litter, leave gates as you find them and keep dogs under control. So far, so sensible. But while there are guidelines for countryside explorers, there are also responsibilities on farmers. The majority of the British countryside isn\u2019t wild and untamed. It\u2019s cultivated and cared for by the nation\u2019s farmers and landowners, who have shaped and sculpted fields, pasture, woodland, foothills and river valleys over generations.<\/p>\n

Countryside Code updated to support farmers and land managers\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Even vast tracts of open countryside \u2013 miles from the nearest village and only ever glimpsed from train windows on long railway journeys \u2013 are more often than not the result of human intervention. Without farmers, the \u2018natural\u2019 landscape of the British Isles would quickly become an overgrown tangle of shrub, wiping out the beautiful scenery we all love and killing off biodiversity.<\/p>\n
As well as being guardians of the countryside, farmers and landowners tend thousands of miles of footpaths, bridleways and byways that criss-cross the country. We have a responsibility to keep rights of way clear and must cut back trees or brambles that obstruct footpaths and bridleways. In fact, it\u2019s a criminal offence to wilfully block a public right of way.<\/p>\n

More related content:<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s footpaths: why are so many disappearing and how to save a footpath<\/a><\/li>\n
Adam Henson: We must stop dogs attacking livestock<\/a><\/li>\n
Nicola Chester: The right to roam could heal our broken relationship with nature<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Credit: Getty<\/em><\/p>\n
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$\""Walking\"$ <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>
So, what about footpaths that run across arable fields? Does a farmer\u2019s right to grow their crops unhindered trump the public\u2019s right to roam, or is it the other way round? Well, it depends. Farmers are allowed to cultivate land that includes cross-field footpaths but as soon as the crop has been sown or harvested and other work has finished, the path must be reinstated.<\/p>\n
Specific rules for livestock farmers make them accountable for the safety of walkers, too. Farmers can be prosecuted if they keep potentially dangerous animals on land that\u2019s crossed by a public right of way, while the Government has banned certain breeds of bull from such places. Farmers also have a duty of care towards stiles and gates, which have to be maintained and repaired \u201cin a condition that makes them safe and reasonably easy to use\u201d.<\/p>\n
#WardenWednesday<\/a> Fantastic transformation on this footpath near Abercraf.Diolch \ud83d\udc9a pic.twitter.com\/rhNplepRe4<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park (@BreconBeaconsNP) April 26, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>