Monday 7 June 2010

Are People Becoming Aware Of The Potential For Future Cow Outrage?

Rural campaign groups in Devon and Cornwall are lobbying the new government to change liability rules about livestock.
Oh, really?

The Animal Act 1971 means owners of livestock are legally responsible for any damage caused by their animals.

But owners say they should not be liable if they have done everything they can to prevent an accident.

Hmmm, and what does this Act mean in practice?

In 1971 the act made owners of animals such as lions and tigers liable for any harm or damage caused by them.

But in 2003 this was extended to livestock, following a road accident in Devon in which a horse escaped its field and collided with a car.

Ah. Now it all becomes clear…

Graham Goddard of Dartmoor Hill Pony Association said: "Most farmers would have public liability insurance, but does that mean we're obligated to cover the public when they're walking across a public footpath?

"How do we ensure our animals don't do anything to injure them?"

Well, it seems you can’t….

11 comments:

Timdog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Timdog said...

"Cowtrage", surely. Never miss up an opportunity to amalgamate two words into one comedy word.

Doing it for cows and not sheep would of course be "sheepocritical", while leaving porkers out would be "repignant".

Your turn...

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

Dogmatic, perhaps?

banned said...

The public should rightly remain scared of visiting farmland

Brian, follower of Deornoth said...

Leaving out cats would be unimoginable.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Ta for link. These people who get injured by cows and then try and sue are just milking the system.

James Higham said...

The cows will rise one day.

Chuckles said...

James H, Rising indeed, there are reports of lunar orbit being exceeded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Diddle_Diddle

If they team up with the machines, it could get ugly.

staybryte said...

"In 1971 the act made owners of animals such as lions and tigers liable for any harm or damage caused by them."

When I was about eight (a few years after 1971), my Dad took me in the pub after we'd been to the circus on the Common. My chief memory of an increasingly befuddled evening was - I am not making this up - a Lion being brought into the lounge bar.

Very, very different times.

JuliaM said...

""Cowtrage", surely. Never miss up an opportunity to amalgamate two words into one comedy word."

Heh!

"These people who get injured by cows and then try and sue are just milking the system."

*groan* ;)

"Very, very different times."

I suspect that still goes on in other countries!

S.B.S said...

As among other things I keep cattle and fence them in lock the gates, however people walk round with wire cutters, cut my and my neighbours fences, open or rather not shut gates behind them, they smash the electric fencing units, insulators, cattle sheep get out and surprise surprise, people complain to me about my cattle and sheep in their gardens?
You can take all the measures you can, but sometimes it is not enough. By law I have to put up signs saying the fence is electric, but the signs have been shot and broken, I find it amusing now there are no signs and watching people getting through and over the fence.