A rush for the cow causes a huge fine for an Austrian farmer

An Austrian mountain farmer whose cows crushed a German tourist to death was sentenced to pay 490,000 euros to the woman's family.

The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture has expressed concern, saying that this heavy fine could encourage farmers to close many trails instead of installing expensive fences.

The farmer of Pinnistal, a Tyrolean valley, appeals this decision.

The Austrian fines for the cow are generally around 30,000 euros. The woman was walking a dog on a leash.

Austrian media reported that the cows apparently had a defensive charge because they had calves with them. The dog's leash was attached to the woman's belt.

But the Innsbrück court concluded that the woman was not to blame for the devastation of July 2014.

Will the trails be closed?

The court ruled that the farmer's warning signs about grazing cows were inadequate. There should have been fences at the place where the German tourist died, the judges said.

But the Chamber of Agriculture warned that the verdict, if it was confirmed, "will have a considerable impact on tourism and agriculture, especially in the Alpine regions" – he said. , farmers in the region having average.

"The trails through meadows and pastures should be fenced off and inaccessible to walkers," the statement said.

"The obligation to install fences would be economically unreasonable for farmers and would mean, in many places, the end of pastoral agriculture."

The statement also called it "an extremely tragic incident".

Avoid a cow attack

• Cattle, especially young ones, are curious and will often follow walkers. But it is the cows, who naturally feel very protective of their calves, who may be more than curious
• Do not panic if you are followed, move away quickly and calmly from the flock
• If you walk with your family dog ​​on a trail and find that there are cattle on the trail, avoid crossing it
• Take a wide detour and take a leisurely stroll around the animals with your dog on a leash
• Do not walk between a cow and her calf
• If cattle move towards you and you feel threatened by them, release your dog from the leash and move quickly but calmly to a safe place.

Source: National Union of Farmers