Cambridge City Council is moo-lling over potential budget cuts to an out-of-hours rescue service which ensures the safety of cattle grazing on Cambridge’s six commons.

Currently, the council provides animal rescuers called ‘pinders’ around the clock during the grazing season, which takes place between April and October. Pinders are deployed to rescue cattle who find themselves stuck in the River Cam or get injured while grazing.

The out-of-hours rescue service currently costs the council between £8,000-£10,000 per year. If it is scrapped, farmers will have to take on the responsibility for its funding. Farmers say this will leave them with no option but to withdraw their cattle from the commons, which include Midsummer Common, Coe Fen, and Sheep’s Green.

This year, four farmers grazed their cattle on these commons. One of these farmers, Mark Drew, stated that it would not be “financially viable” for the farmers to keep “traipsing into town when there’s problems” if the out of hours pinder service was scrapped.

Veterinarian Angelika von Heimendahl has had twelve cattle grazing on Midsummer Common for 20 years, and she sells the beef at the farmers’ market in Cambridge city centre. She says that she would not be able to afford the extra costs incurred by the scrapping of the service, explaining: “I wouldn’t come back and none of the other farmers would either.”

Von Heimendahl added that the pinder service is essential for cattle grazing near the city centre and the Cam, because of added risks such as boat mooring walls, people, and dogs. She described an incident in which one of her cattle tripped over a mooring line from a houseboat, while Drew recalled losing a bullock that was chased by a dog into the road.

An attempt by Cambridge City Council to scrap the out-of-hours pinder system was reversed in 2021 after farmers expressed concerns over the cuts.

Cambridge City Council is aiming to reduce the council’s annual net expenditure by £6 million by 1st April 2026, and has launched a consultation for its 2025-2026 budget, in which Cambridge residents can participate. The out-of-hours pinder service is “just one of many services” which the council is consulting on, according to Cambridge City councillor Simon Smith, who says “There are difficult decisions to be made”.