Eureka Elementary Students in Deep Doo-doo

CHARLOTTE COUNTY – Students at Eureka Elementary School in Charlotte are having a crappy time on the soccer field. Dozens of cows and sheep are grazing on the field leaving hazards for the students. According to school officials the problem is of long standing. Numerous attempts have been made to get the owner of the animals to keep his animals off the school property with no success.

The cows are also creating wallows beside the gutter drains that are damaging the school.

The school resource officer Deputy Troy Elder explained that Virginia is a “fence out” (also known as a free-range) state. This means that livestock owners are not required to fence in their livestock. According to Virginia law it is the responsibility of other land owners to fence in any property they want to protect and to fence out free-range livestock. Therefore, it is the schools responsibility to “fence out” the animals.

The issue has been discussed at the Charlotte Board of Supervisors meetings. It is possible for a county to pass an ordinance that would require a Charlotte County livestock owner to fence in livestock but no action was taken.

But there is another solution. Also according to Virginia law a livestock owner is liable for damages caused by his animals. The county can file a civil suit for damages to property and the livestock owner will be liable for any illness or injury caused by the animals or their excrement. Failure to maintain fences can also result in having a farmer’s insurance cancelled.

But there is an even simpler and easier solution. The livestock owner can do the responsible thing and repair his fences like the majority of ethical farmers in Southside Virginia.