English Longhorn cattle - at Oughtonhead Commonare all year round - are now grazing at Purwell Meadows in Hitchin.

Councillor Amy Allen, Executive Member for Environment at North Herts Council, said: "Grazing is a great way to manage the grassland and protect the rare species that make up meadow habitat. In addition, parts of some of the sites are inaccessible by machinery.

"Longhorn cattle are specifically chosen to graze these sites due to their docile nature. It's always exciting to welcome the livestock back at this time of year, but please remember, while cattle are on site, do not approach them and keep dogs under close control."

North Herts Council works closely with Hertfordshire County Council's Countryside Management Service (CMS) to manage the livestock – and we couldn't do it without their volunteer stock checkers.

Cllr Allen continued: "We'd like to give a big thank you to all the volunteers who assist CMS with welfare checks on the cattle. CMS has recently had a great response for new volunteers and there are some seasoned volunteers – at Oughtonhead in Hitchin, the same people having been visiting once a fortnight for 10 years, and one is in his 80s!"

Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, Executive Member for Environment, Transport and Growth at Hertfordshire County Council, added: "Everyone plays a vital role in keeping Hertfordshire's landscapes healthy, but special praise and thanks must go to the volunteers, who give up their time to support the CMS-led conservation efforts across Hertfordshire. We are committed to improving wildlife-rich habitats for future generations and making our countryside diverse and accessible for everyone."

It's the first year the council are managing the cows at Purwell in Hitchin through a contract grazier; they were previously managed by a tenant farmer.

Purwell Meadows is an important mosaic of dry and marshy grassland, and scrubland. Grazing is carried out to manage these habitats, particularly as the site has some areas inaccessible by machinery.

A small herd of English Longhorn cattle are now grazing the site (from w/c 14 July) with volunteers recently repairing the fencing around the perimeter of the meadow in preparation for their arrival.

The grazing cows are paired up with a grass 'cut and collect' on the more accessible areas on the north-east of the site – this removes rank grasses and reduces nutrient levels, while allowing native wildflowers to flower and produce seed – as opposed to leaving the cut vegetation to decompose on the ground.

Cutting the grass will also encourage the cattle to focus on grazing areas where the grassland is slowly being taken over by scrub, namely the south-west half of the site where machinery can't reach.

The grassland here is relatively undisturbed and so it is important to maintain open grassland here for the wetland species that frequent this area. Trained volunteer stock-checkers from the local community are carrying out daily checks on the cattle and reporting any issues to the grazier.