Worcestershire News
Cattle will help wildflowers to flourish
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| GRAZING: The cattle are back on Ronkswood Hill Meadow as part of an ongoing conservation exercise. |
CATTLE are now grazing in a Worcester meadow.
The herd of 25 hand-reared cattle, of mixed continental breeds, were released on to Ronkswood Hill Meadows yesterday as part of an annual conservation exercise by Worcester City Council.
They are owned by farmer Rik Gomm, of Rushwick, and will be given free rein of the Local Nature Reserve site to help preserve grassland and wild flowers.
Warwick Neale, parks green network officer at Worcester City Council, said: "We have been doing this for seven years now and we have had quite a lot of interest in what we are doing.
"We introduce the cattle for around six months in a bid
to regain some of the traditional benefits of natural stewardship."
The initiative is designed to act as a natural and cost-effective way of keeping the grass short enough to allow the vast array of wildflowers in the area to get enough sunlight to grow and hopefully thrive.
The meadows are home to a wide range of wildflowers including black knapweed, cowslips and birdsfoot trefoil, but if grass grows too high the flowers will not flourish.
For more details about the conservation exercise, call Mr Neale on 01905 722 233.
The cattle play a pivotal role in boosting such flora and fauna as well as producing other positive spin-offs such as an increase in butterflies and improvements to the natural soil environment.
For further information about the conservation exercise, call Mr Neale on 01905 722 233.
sees some of the region's top blues and folk musicians perform informal sets.
12:12pm Tuesday 20th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Derek Smith, Malvern on 4:05pm Tue 20 May 08
There is at present a modish obsession for grazing cattle on public land. Sadly, in Malvern this includes admitting them to a priceless arboretum of specimen trees, which have to be surrounded with ugly barriers, and the banning of regular users from the much-loved areas where they are to be released. Besides creating a hazard which necessitates this banning, cattle produce dung which breeds flies that act as a further deterrent.
Quite aside from some medieval superstition about "natural" methods of conservation, this approach receives financial support from the Liveability Grant Programme and additional sustainability grants. Money-grubbing is a necessary part of a Council's prudent management but should not determine its environmental policy.
There is at present a modish obsession for grazing cattle on public land. Sadly, in Malvern this includes admitting them to a priceless arboretum of specimen trees, which have to be surrounded with ugly barriers, and the banning of regular users from the much-loved areas where they are to be released. Besides creating a hazard which necessitates this banning, cattle produce dung which breeds flies that act as a further deterrent.
Quite aside from some medieval superstition about "natural" methods of conservation, this approach receives financial support from the Liveability Grant Programme and additional sustainability grants. Money-grubbing is a necessary part of a Council's prudent management but should not determine its environmental policy.
Posted by: Logik, worcester on 4:30pm Tue 20 May 08
[quote]The cattle play a pivotal role in boosting such flora and fauna as well as producing other positive spin-offs such as an increase in butterflies and improvements to the natural soil environment.[/quote]
This story was on the Midlands News last night. I remember the reporter saying it was all environmentally friendly. No doubt he forgot about all the methane they produce, those emissions being more damaging than all the co2 from cars.
The cattle play a pivotal role in boosting such flora and fauna as well as producing other positive spin-offs such as an increase in butterflies and improvements to the natural soil environment.
This story was on the Midlands News last night. I remember the reporter saying it was all environmentally friendly. No doubt he forgot about all the methane they produce, those emissions being more damaging than all the co2 from cars.
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