FOI request (FOIR-542485585)

Proposed plan to place a commercial herd of 12 - 20 Sussex cattle on the Firehills (a change from the original plan to place 5 Belted Galloway cattle)

Requested Mon 28 August 2023
Responded Tue 12 September 2023

In 2016, the plan was to place five Belted Galloway cattle on the Firehills during the winter months (FOIR-533885462). The plan remained the same until recently, except there would be fewer cows involved due to deaths.

I understand that it is now proposed that, instead of using the Belted Galloways, a much larger herd of 12 - 20 cattle of the Sussex breed will be placed on the Firehills during the Winter months.

Please provide under the FOIA and the EIR the following information:

1. Is this just a proposal or has the decision already been made to place the larger herd on the Firehills? Who has been consulted about this? Please provide all reports, assessments, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information (in any form).

2. If it is still at the proposal stage, will there be a public consultation before a final decision is made?

3. If there is to be public consultation, what form will it take? Please provide all consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

4. Please provide all information you have relating to the Sussex herd, including, age, sex, and temperament. Please include all consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

5. The plan was to use the 'Nofence' invisible fence system to define the areas where the cattle would graze. This system has been found to be ineffective with the Belted Galloways as they have learnt to ignore it. How will the large herd of Sussex cattle be controlled while on the Firehills? Will more fencing have to be erected in other parts of the Firehills to keep the herd in particular areas? Please provide all relevant documentation on this, including consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

6. Will the recently erected fencing and gates have to be replaced? They were built with the intention to stop a cow from escaping should the battery fail on their GPS collar, not to confine a herd of 12 - 20 cattle. Please provide all relevant documentation on this, including consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

7. I understand that the Environment and Natural Resources Manager has recently said that the area where the cattle will be placed will now still have to be mown because it's largely gorse. In 2016, the reason given for introducing the Belted Galloway cattle to the Firehills was that 'We are currently cutting the Firehills mechanically and removing the arisings. This, however, is not financially or practically sustainable in the long term' (FOIR-533885462). If mowing must continue, why are cattle being placed there? Please provide all relevant documentation on this, including consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

8. Are there any proposals or plans to place cattle on the Firehills at other times of the year, besides the winter months? Please provide all relevant documentation on this, including consultations, assessments, reports, emails, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and any other related information.

Response

The Freedom of Information Act is based on recorded information held by a local authority, it is not a tool to ask questions.

1. Information not held.

2. This is a question and not a request for recorded information.

3. Information not held.

4. Information not held.

5. Information not held.

6. Information not held.

7. Information not held.

8. No