Unwelcome visitors
6 08 2007We’re usually quite welcoming of visitors to the croft, but there are times when we get extremely annoyed because people decide to have a nose around without asking first, dump their rubbish (and animals) over the fences, and believe it’s “their right” to go where they please.
With the English foot-and-mouth disease outbreak much in the news at the moment, you’d think we’d have a respite from unwelcome visitors like this but, of course, being the irresponsible types that they are, they’re still at it.
We returned from a morning out today to find one of our gates open - and we hadn’t left it open as we’re being very careful to keep all gates closed to discourage people from wandering on the croft at the moment.
When we walked into the steading it was even more obvious that we’d had visitors as the door to the workshop was open while the door to the hayshed was unbolted.
Nothing had been taken, but it was clear someone had been nosing around.
The Other Half and I had a good mutter about nosey people who don’t respect other people’s property and got on with the work.
But we had another unwelcome surprise when we went out to check and water the pigs.
Someone had thrown a large plastic sack of ragwort, an extremely toxic weed, over the boundary fence into the main field.
Fortunately, it had not landed in one of the pig fields or pens but it’s extremely annoying to find that someone couldn’t be bothered to dispose of the ragwort themselves.
It was almost certainly someone who keeps horses as the sack was a 25kg Spiller’s horsefeed bag. They’d obviously dug up the ragwort so it wouldn’t poison their horses and then happily dumped it onto a croft with pigs.
On top of that, our electric fences around the pig pens had been turned off! Fortunately, none of the pigs had strayed but with valuable, pedigree livestock it’s not something we want to find.
This sort of thing makes my blood boil at the best of times, but at a time when a disease outbreak is in the news it makes me want to stick a muck fork in their posterior a few times.
What’s particularly galling is when we catch people coming onto the croft without permission or feeding the pigs (yes, really), and they reply that it’s their right to do so.
The Government may well have given them the right to roam and ministers may well spout nonsense about it being people’s birthright to go where they please (how about the PM’s garden?), but the fact is that they have no right to poke about home, they have no right to dump their rubbish here, they have no right to feed our livestock, and they have no right to bring the threat of disease onto the croft.
So I’m ordering in more “Keep Out” signs, I’m going to have to chain and padlock all the gates, and I’m going to see if I can find a locking switch for the electric fence. And I may well sharpen the tines of the muck fork, too…
Borrow some “MOD - Tactical firing range, do not enter” signs!
Yea, or ‘Trespassers will be shot’
Hmm, or “…shot and fed to the pigs”!
I can’t even imagine wondering on to someone else’s property uninvited - let alone going into their buildings or disturbing their animals. Maybe that is the “trespassers will be shot” North American attitude that I was raised with but it certainly doesn’t bother me not to bother other people.
problem is in Scotland there is the ‘right’ to wander and some are too ignorant to respect others property!
I’ve been experiencing some similar “nosing around” on my property… never see the guy but I’ve smelled the cigarettes, seen the butts and noticed the footprints.
I’m considering setting up a couple of playful trap pranks. Or bringing out the slingshot.
Having a similar problem with a certain person on my blog; have yet to figure out how to deal with that one, but. …
So in Scotland do people have the right to roam anywhere and everywhere? Or is there just rights of way,like certain areas? Even so, you would think they could respect your animals, buildings etc. I hope they weren’t casing the joint. I wouldn’t go on anyone’s property in Oz without permission, we always picture a cranky farmer with a shotgun!
I think a sign with “Trespassers will be fed to the pigs” would be best. I really wish I had never read “Hannibal” by Thomas Harris.
Since 2003 there’s been a statutory right of access to almost all land and water in Scotland. The right is supposed to be exercised responsibly, but most people we encounter only seem to to know about “the right” rather than the responsibilities that go with it.
We’ve mentioned the problems we’ve had - particularly with walkers feeding the pigs - to council access officers, animal welfare officers and the like, but their advice is to get some leaflets to hand out to educate people. (On the other hand, we’d find ourselves hauled before the courts if we denied access to anyone!)
Even when it comes down to personal privacy, the Scottish Outdoor Access Code simply states”respect people’s privacy and peace of mind. When close to a house or garden, keep a sensible distance from the house, use a path or track if there is one, and take extra care at night”.
People interpret this as they want - usually in favour of wandering in and out as they please.
As for farmers and crofters, we’re now “land managers”. “Recreation users” are advised to “help land managers and others to work safely and effectively . Do not hinder land management operations and follow advice from land managers. Respect requests for reasonable limitations on when and where you can go”.
Again, that’s wide open to interpretation.
Even if there was an actual outbreak of bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, or similar diseases, the Scottish Executive’s contingency plan states “the countryside will be kept open and a presumption in favour of access will be maintained”.
What it all boils down to is that the countryside is very much a recreational theme park for the benefit of suburban and urban people. They can go where they please, when they please and we have to accept it.
This came through quite clearly in a Scottish Natural Heritage study, which found recreational users believed land managers should conduct land management to minimise interference with people accessing the countryside. In other words, recreation should come before farming, forestry, quarrying and other agricultural or industrial uses.
There’s also no recognition that it’s our home and workplace, but woe betide us should we choose to visit an urban area for a wander through a few gardens and the odd workplace or two…
(And incidentally, I do think there needed to be a much better right of access than there used to be, but the right to roam is wide open to abuse by the countryside’s “recreational users” with almost no redress for people like us where their “right” becomes a gross intrusion into our privacy, a potential threat to biosecurity and animal health, or even a threat to their health and safety - in which case we may be held responsible.)
we were thinking quite seriously about moving up your way but you really have kind of put me off! I thought it was bad down here in the west country, where holiday makers treat the county as if it is a rural disneyland - but the thought that strangers have the *right* to come onto my land for no good reason would prabably be intolerable. yet another *good* idea launched on the tax paying public by idiots who couldn,t find their own bum with both hands! (and don’t even get me started on 24 hour licensing!)
That’s amazing - I can’t believe people would do that. And yet…perhaps I have met some specimens who are that ignorant/uncaring so why not assume there are some in Scotland too. Am still shocked though that people would think it’s okay to roam around the buildings - I can possibly see how they might want to walk through a field but into the yard etc.? That’s pure nosiness! And leaving the gates open is simply stupid. I’m a townie born and bred but everyone knows you’re supposed to make sure gates are closed - they have ads on the telly for that!
Do you have an equivalent to Joe Duffy over there? He presents a radio programme here on RTE 1 (national broadcaster) during the afternoon and basically, if someone isn’t getting anywhere following normal channels and wants to bring an issue to the public’s attention in the hope of getting something done about it, then they ring Joe Duffy. “Getting on to Joe Duffy” is practically a phrase with its own meaning at this stage.
Im just shocked that ANY horse owner would ever consider doing such a stupid and wicked thing as to dump ragwort anywhere especially as the weed becomes palatable once wilted as it loses the bitter taste.
I reckon CCTV might be most effective - at least around the house tho appreciate wouldnt have stopped this incident. And maybe self closers on the gates - that way if theyre left open it has to be deliberate propping open - ie mischief making.
But am still shocked re the ragwort/horse thing.
My God! That is shocking!
If you were to stick your pitchfork into their posteriors, though, you could be charged with causing brain damage since clearly that is where their brains are.
Maybe the ragwort and snooping are unrelated, or maybe you have a neighbour that had ragwort and just hsappened to get hold of empty horse feed bags? Anyway, in these circumstances, the Scottish Access Code considers that an “access taker” disregarding the code will not be acting “responsibly” and forfeits their statutory right, putting himself in a position analogous to a trespasser. As such, you probably don’t owe them the same duty of care (pitch forks at dawn!). However, the Local Authority can come along and take your signs, chains and padlocks away, so beware.