Strawberry farm ends PYO over health and safety rules By Richard Savill Published: 7:00AM BST 04 Jun 2009   An award-winning strawberry farm has been forced to close down its pick-your-own fields after 40 years because its insurance company is demanding handrails are installed on drainage ditches and cordons placed around potholes. The Boddington family, which owns the 20 acre farm near Mevagissey, Cornwall, for the public to pick strawberries have decided they cannot afford the safety features required following an accident last year. Their decision has raised concerns that other farms may have to follow suit as insurers raise premiums. Phil Boddington, 45, whose grandfather William set up the farm 60 years ago, and whose father Richard pioneered pick-your-own in Cornwall, said: "It is a sad day. It is fulfilling to see a family go into a field and pick their own fruit. "Unfortunately, it is seen to be a risk to let the public onto what is deemed to be a strawberry factory in the eyes of the insurers and the health and safety people. It is not worth the aggravation." He added: "It is a sign of the times. When we tell people why we stopped doing pick-your-own, there is a lot of eye rolling. It does not sit well with the family." The farm, Boddington''''s Berries, produces 200 tons of fruit each year, and supplies award winning jam. Pick-your-own strawberries was only a small part of the business, Mr Boddington said. The farm''''s products have been supplied to Fortnum & Mason, and to Jamie Oliver''''s Fifteen Cornwall restaurant. Mr Boddington said that in four decades only two pickers had been hurt in the fields. But last year, one of them, an elderly woman filed a claim against the farm for injuries she suffered in a fall. The claim is being processed but Mr Boddington said it had led to the insurance premium doubling. Ian Johnson, of the National Farmers'''' Union said: "We live in a very litigious age. "It is a very sad and unfortunate incident at Boddington''''s, which I am sure they regret as much as anyone, that after such a long time of letting people enjoy coming to pick fruit, they will not be able to do that any more."                                                                                                                                                                              

When are people going to start taking responsibility for themselves? If the silly old cow cant stand upright on her own, then she shouldnt have been walking across a field. Stuff like this really makes me mad                                                                                                                                                                              

  Damn right!!

Speaking as a farmer myself, and working for a tourist farm park I couldn't agree more DC..............the ownner of the park where I work is currently being taken to court by the health and safety morons............I'd love to know how anyone could absolutely guarantee the safety of the public in the coutryside, esp when there are animals involved                                                                                                                                                                              

Someone at the HSE up here launched an initiative on the farms which involved tying pieces of blue string to fences. The thinking was that the farmers would see the string which would remind them to be safe.... Let's just say the farmers were not very impressed!

Probably someone with shares in a string factory

i heard about this on the news, what a joke, i am sick of all this where theres is a blame there is a claim rubbish, like my dads car garage in manchester got broken into, he has a german shepard dog in there, (guard dog), the dog bit the scum who was breaking in, and yes you guessed it , they tried to prosecute my dad !!!!!!!!!!

we is livin in a crazy world                                                                                                                                                                             

I would so much to be a judge, I would sort these prats out no problem!                                                                                                                                                                             

Get rich quick culture. Off the back of somone elses hard work. They dont care about destroying livelyhoods and peoples jobs   HSE seem to be the old quality control people I.E. Non productive                                                                                                                                                                                

    It's madness, where and when will it end?                                                                                                                                                                              

Blooming stupid I agree with you Kwak                                                                                                                                                                               

  Death Certificates of the future will read...   Cause of Death: WORRY!!   Worry about drinking too much, dehydration , smoking too much, not exercising enough, too much exercise, standing too long, sitting too long, eating too much, not eating enough and on and on like Ariston!!                                                                                                                                                                                 

Love your angle on that Kwak                                                                                                                                                                               

nice one kwak !                                                                                                                                                                             

Totally agree, nice one Kwak................although i think you're showing your age with the Ariston comment...................shame I knew instantly what you meant!