Grazier says Cambridge City Council budget cut would spell end for grazing of cattle on commons

The grazing of cattle on the city’s commons – a sight seen in Cambridge since the middle ages – could be under threat from a proposed council budget cut, it is feared.

The city council is consulting on passing the cost of the out-of-hours pinder service for the recovery of cattle that get stuck or fall into the river back to the four graziers who have about 90 cattle across the city’s commons between April and October.

The graziers say if they need to meet this cost - which has been around £10,000 to deal with two to four incidents a year – then grazing in the city would be unviable.

One of the graziers, Angelika von Heimendahl, of Camcattle, told the Cambridge Independent: “If the council passes on the cost, I would not graze there because it would be too expensive. Camcattle would become unprofitable and I can’t see how the other farmers would pay.

“There is absolutely no way I would pay. I have to compete with people producing beef on normal grazing land. Why would I do that?

“I think the council is really lucky to have graziers who are prepared to go the extra mile. The council is deluded.”

Grazing on the commons requires a pinder service due to the additional hazards and people in a city, she noted, adding that normal grazing land is not hard to find, with the Wildlife Trust and National Trust often keen to have cattle.

She noted that some towns and cities even pay graziers to graze their cattle on their land, as they are an attractive feature, aid biodiversity, reduce mowing costs and can lead to a reduction in anti-social behaviour on land.

Cllr Simon Smith, executive city councillor for finance and resources, said: “We are not proposing to remove the cows from the commons – the question about grazing in our wider public budget consultation relates only to the out-of-hours element of the service the council provides for the four graziers.

“At a time when the council is under pressure to increase charges or reduce services, we are asking whether it’s right that Cambridge taxpayers subsidise graziers in this way. The council must identify £6million of savings from a £71m budget. The pinder service is just one of many services we are consulting on.”

The council receives about £4,000 in rent each year from the graziers, and has been receiving subsidies, and spends £28,000 in return to support the graziers, with pinder staff checking gates, grids and fences, undertaking stock counts and checking on the health of the cattle.

The 24-hour pinder service to rescue stricken cattle is often aided by the fire and rescue service, and the council has introduced a geo, or virtual, fence system to keep cattle away from the river bank, off the footpaths and within defined grazing areas.

It enables graziers to keep a check on the location of their cattle via a mobile app.

The Labour-led council also considered the same cut in 2020-21, but decided against it in the end.

Visit https://engage.cambridge.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/budget-2025-26 to complete the budget survey.