Often here at Your Herefordshire, we get sent wonderful photos of the county by members of the public.
Just a week ago was no different. Rob Deakin sent us in a photo (seen below) of some cattle in a waterway near Mordiford Bridge in Herefordshire.
The difference this time was that it sparked a huge debate, about whether the cattle should be allowed to roam freely in rivers and streams.
With the pollution of our waterways, rivers and seas high on the agenda at present, especially in the Wye catchment, where levels of pollution have reached record levels, it’s understandable that such a photo would see such a response.
Dr Duncan Westbury (Wildlife Gardener, Plant Ecologist and Course Leader for Environmental Management and Sustainability at the University of Worcester) took to Twitter and said:
“Oh dear, Environment Agency, this shouldn’t be happening!”
This was met by a raft of replies, such as this from Sophie Bourton who said:
“Disappointing to see the local level of support on this thread. Obvious that the majority have no idea of the impact.”
However, not everyone was against the thought of cattle taking a walk in the water.
Colin Hardinge said:
“So many people are making horrified comments without knowing the true context.
“Where the cattle are is a virtually non flowing channel. It used to flow but is now silted up.
“The river can be seen flowing free of soil at the top of the picture.”
Agriland, a farming news portal said:
“Cattle accessing rivers and streams can have a negative impact on the quality of water, which could lead to an impact on both the health of humans and the health of animals, according to a report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”
