narrowboatworld

Seeing the story in NbW about people trying to drive away the cows from their ancient grazing sites, reminds me of a farmer I know who had a similar problem.

He farmed (note the past tense) some of the flood meadows by the Avon, and had always walked his cows up one of the back streets of the village for milking.

This street became 'gentrified' when some incomers bought most of the houses to escape the city, to where they commuted to work. Evidence of the passage of the cows on their twice daily visit was provided by the cowpats and flower pots placed along the edges of their now (unfenced) cultivated lawns, being knocked over.

These new residents got together and demanded that he find another route. (There wasn't one) In the end they won, because he decided to pack in dairy farming as he'd had enough of the hassle from the village, the low price of milk and the fact that he was near retiring age.

I wouldn't be confident that the protesters won't win in the Cambridge case either.

Tony Collins