Police ‘in all probability proper’ to ram cow, says farmer’s union official

Police were ‘probably right’ to ram a runaway calf with their 4×4, a farmer and union chief has claimed – but the animal’s owner fears she may be left infertile by the assault.

Hugh Broom, National Farmers’ Union’s South East livestock chairman, said although the footage looked ‘horrendous’, officers probably ‘did the right thing at the time’.

The 10-month-old cow, named Beau Lucy, suffered grazes and a large cut on her leg when a Surrey Police truck mowed her down on a residential street in Feltham, West London, on Friday.

The young cow was tossed 30ft before being trapped under a bumper after escaping from Staines Moor in Surrey and swimming across a river. 

The disturbing footage sparked widespread anger and Surrey Police announced yesterday that the officer who was behind the wheel has been removed from frontline duties pending an investigation.

Mr Broom told BBC Radio Surrey: ‘While the whole thing looks horrendous, and it is for everyone, they probably did the right thing at the time.

‘The other option is you shoot the animal. In that environment would you want to be using a rifle in a built-up area on a dark Friday night?’

Mr Broom added: ‘God forbid it had gone the other way and the animal ran off and bumped into someone, sent a child flying, sent any person flying, [which is] perfectly possible, and they were seriously injured or worse.

‘People would be saying: ‘Why wasn’t the animal stopped?’

But despite Mr Broom trying to justify the incident, Beau Lucy’s owner has raised fears of the cow becoming infertile. 

The calf was earmarked from birth as a ‘breeding cow’ – sparing her a one-way trip to an abattoir in favour of a life spent life grazing lush meadows with generations of her own calves.

Cows usually start giving birth at around two to three years old and continue to do so for around a decade.

But friends of the farmer worry that the stress of the attack may have left her unable to reproduce – leaving him with no humane way of making back the investment in her feed and care if Surrey Police fail to pay compensation.

If Beau Lucy’s injuries mean she cannot give birth, the owner will have wasted thousands of pounds on her at a time when many farmers are struggling to make ends meet.

But his friends insisted the preference would be for her to live out her days at an animal sanctuary.

It comes as new footage from this morning shows the calf standing in the corner of her enclosure, with grazes visible on her legs and rear.

Despite the injuries and a ‘slight limp’, Beau Lucy is otherwise in a ‘remarkable condition’ and breathing well, her owners told Channel 5 News.

The farmer who owns Beau Lucy has described her as ‘sulky and bruised’, as he accused police of ‘trying to kill her’. 

Speaking to The Sun, Beau Lucy’s owner Rob said the calf was ‘feisty and upset’ and ‘scared witless’ when he managed to get to her.

He told the newspaper he is ‘angry, upset and disgusted’, adding: ‘We did think they were trying to kill it.’

His wife said the force could have fetched a vet and used a tranquilliser if they were concerned.

Rob said previously: ‘I think the video speaks for itself. It was quite horrific. The method of dealing with the situation was incorrect. It was wrong and I think that’s the message we’ve learned. It could have been handled so much better. The videos were an upsetting sight.’

He said Beau Lucy is ‘a lot better’ and recovering well, but added: ‘Time will tell because we don’t know what internal injuries she might have. But she’s eating and she’s cuddling so there’s always promise when there’s that.’ 

Home Secretary James Cleverly has been among the critics over the ‘heavy-handed’ approach taken by Surrey Police against the frightened calf.

The force announced that its Professional Standards Department has been informed and it will voluntarily refer to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for a further investigation.

Calls have been made for the ‘monsters’ who rammed the calf to be sacked after a video showed the bovine calmly wandering down the street before officers swooped in who said they had to knock the animal down to keep the public safe.

Shocking footage shows police brutally smashing into the calf twice after it escaped from its enclosure as a nearby member of the public shouts: ‘What are you doing that for?’

Mr Cleverly, wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham and Deborah Meaden were among those condemning the ‘brutal’ actions of the police force.

Surrey Police said in a statement: ‘The cow was running loose throughout the evening on a number of main roads and during this time, we received numerous calls from the public reporting a car being damaged and it running at members of the public.

‘Given these reports, officers were extremely concerned about the public’s safety, and over a period of a number of hours tried a number of options to safely capture the cow.

‘Unfortunately, these were unsuccessful, and the decision was made to stop it using a police car. This matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has been notified and a voluntary referral will be made in due course.’

Chief Insp Sam Adcock said: ‘I know that this has caused distress and I’d like to thank the community for their concern.

‘The decision to use the police car is one that was only taken after other methods to stop the cow had failed.

‘There will be an investigation into the actions that led to this, but our focus at all times is on ensuring the safety of the public.

‘I know there are videos circulating of this incident, which the public may find distressing. I would ask that these videos are sent directly to us to help with our investigation.’

Critics included Mr Packham, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I don’t know where to start with this. But it’s surely illegal and must be investigated and prosecuted. What sort of monster rams a calf? Twice?’

Mr Cleverly also asked for a ‘full, urgent explanation’ as to why officers appeared to use a police car to hit an escaped cow, saying how the police action seemed ‘unnecessarily heavy handed‘.

The RSPCA described the footage as ‘upsetting and distressing’ and said the police ‘action appears disproportionate to the situation’.

Dragons’ Den judge Ms Meaden also took to X to voice her shock over the incident, writing: ‘Jeez….that is a scared, living, breathing creature and @SurreyPolice show such little compassion they decide ramming it with a vehicle is their only option….come on!!

‘I know it’s not all Police but seriously….this really must have serious consequences.’

An RSPCA spokesman said: ‘This is upsetting and distressing footage.

‘As soon as we were made aware, we urgently contacted the police to establish the background and to find out what happened to the calf. We are pleased to hear the calf survived and is receiving vet care.

‘Surrey Police has referred themselves to their own professional standards department and to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. We support this as the action appears disproportionate to the situation.

‘We are happy to assist in any investigations carried out. All animals should be treated with respect. Together we can create a better world for all animals.’

A spokesperson for the IOPC said: ‘We have been notified by Surrey Police about this incident and that a referral will be made in due course.

‘When we receive it we will carry out an assessment to determine what further action is required by us.’

In an earlier statement published on Friday evening, Surrey Police said the animal became ‘increasingly distressed’ while it was being taken to safety.