Cattle reintroduced to Hounslow heath to aid conservation

Hounslow residents enjoying a walk through Hounslow Heath will spot a new herd of cattle which has been introduced as part of a three-month grazing programme.

Lampton Services Greenspace has introduced six Sussex Cows to the Heath to aid with conservation and improve the diversity of plant species.

The cows are expected to deliver a number of benefits to the Heath, such as exposing anthills, eating coarse grasses that would otherwise dominate and reducing the need for areas to be cut with petrol machinery. 

People can visit the cows in the newly-fenced Heather Pens, where they will be grazing until the end of the year, before moving to the Neutral Meadows next year. Pedestrians are welcome to enter the fields with the cows but are asked to not bring dogs into the pens while the programme is taking place.

Kayleigh Easterbrook, Countryside Manager at Lampton Services Greenspace said: “We are delighted to have cattle back at Hounslow Heath to improve the biodiversity of one of our beautiful Green Flag-awarded parks. Prior to 2020, we regularly used cattle grazing in the winter months and saw many ecological benefits. We’d like to thank the Lampton Arbology team who spent months over spring and summer repairing the pen fencing that had been damaged after last summer’s fires so we could re-introduce the programme.”

The Countryside team at Lampton Services Greenspace will be hosting a Cow Talk information session over the coming months with a farmer. Residents who are interested in attending and learning more about the benefits of cattle grazing are encouraged to visit the Countryside Rangers – Hounslow and Hounslow Heath Conservation Volunteers Facebook pages.