A farmer has vowed to make his Highland cattle less photogenic by breeding them with ugly cows to prevent TikTok tourists from hugging them.
Alex Birch said he had seen an alarming increase in social media influencers creating viral videos featuring his herd on moorland at Baslow Edge in the Peak District, Derbyshire.
The cows, often described as “floofy” because of their thick fringe and shaggy coat, are being approached regularly by tourists lured to the area after seeing the animals on social media.
Mr Birch, 39, said the animals “don’t get any peace”, adding that he had even seen a yoga teacher doing a handstand next to the cows for an instructional video.
He also had to intervene when the herd was “cornered” at sunset by up to 30 people using flashing cameras to take pictures and videos for social media.
People are regularly seen taking selfies while hugging or petting the cows, with some animals even having their tails pulled in an attempt to create “good online content”.
Now Mr Birch says he will breed out their good looks by crossing the Highland cattle with the plainer whitebred shorthorn.
“We want to make them less photogenic,” he said. “If I had my way I would ban the people. But the people won’t go away, so I need to remove what’s attracting them to the cattle.”
He described the whitebred shorthorn as “a good, hardy cow”, adding that “they are not photogenic and don’t have horns”. He said the process of breeding out the more attractive features of the Highland cows would take around six years.
The farmer added: “It’s not ideal. My granddad still wants me to have the Highland cattle, which we breed for meat. But we have to do something.”
The Peak District National Park Authority has advised against the “TikTok craze” of hugging cows because they risk being trampled, charged or attacked, particularly when the cows have calves.
Mr Birch’s family bought their farm near Baslow Edge in 1921 and his grandfather, David Thorp, introduced the Highland cattle to the area in the 1970s.
Seven years ago, the adult herd was forced off the land after a complaint was lodged with the Health and Safety Executive. A visitor accused one of the Highland cows of “having a go” at his dog while it was apparently protecting its calves.
However, Mr Birch was allowed to keep calves on the 300-acre moorland. He remains concerned that if a visitor to the area is injured by one of his 16 cows, he may face prosecution.
He said: “People don’t realise these are not domesticated animals. They are highly unpredictable creatures.
“I try not to go anywhere near them, I’m not stupid. They are like donkeys, they can kick hard. If you upset one you will regret it – you will never outrun it.”
The Highland cattle started appearing in social media videos four years ago. They are now popular on the TikTok platform, where clips – often featuring “influencers” feeding, stroking, hugging and petting the cows – have attracted thousands of followers.
The farmer reported some of the videos to TikTok, claiming they had encouraged people to distress the creatures. He said none had been taken down. He has also posted appeals on Facebook to explain the dangers of approaching the cows.
“These videos can attract the wrong people,” he continued. “I know it’s all now part of life, but people are also making money out of this. It’s not a job to me.”
He has discovered plastic bags full of carrots and food waste that tourists have used to feed the animals.
“It’s odd, because they don’t really eat carrots,” he said. “When I saw the woman doing a handstand on a mat in front of the cows I said, ‘What are you doing?’ She said, ‘Please don’t shout, I’m doing a yoga video.’ It’s ridiculous.
“On another occasion a dad was seen putting his son on the back of one cow, which then ran off.”
A spokesman for the park authority said: “The Peak District National Park Authority warns against getting close, feeding, or taking selfies with cows.
“Hugging cows – the new craze recently seen on TikTok – should be avoided as it is highly dangerous due to the risk of being trampled, charged or attacked, especially when cows have calves.”
In March, Highland cows were removed from the Hothfield Heathlands nature reserve, in Ashford, Kent, after they became distressed by the unwanted attention they were getting from visitors after a TikTok video of one cow being petted went viral.