Devon and Cornwall Police started inquiries and Perranzabuloe Parish Council – which owns the site, Droskyn Field – began its own investigation.
Local dog walker Arthur Sherry filmed a tractor using a flail mower to cut down grass in the field, which is also known as Gwithian Way, on Tuesday, July 14. The field is a habitat for endangered ground nesting birds, particularly skylarks.
In the video, Mr Sherry can be heard shouting at the tractor driver as it travels in his direction. He then steps out of the way and the driver continues on.
Mr Sherry then called police, with officers confirming they were looking into the manner in which a tractor was being driven in the field while a pedestrian was present. They said enquiries were ongoing.
However, the parish council has now stated that after carrying out its own inquiries, it will not be reporting the incident to the police.
The incident drew national attention and further comment from the farming community, with many not realising the field is owned by the parish council and that permission is needed for grass cutting and any further work.
While permission was not granted to the farmer to carry out the work, it appears he did it innocently as a result of what the council says was a “miscommunication”.
The matter was discussed at a Perranzabuloe Parish Council meeting on Monday (July 20) where Mr Sherry said: “I want to make it absolutely clear that my actions were motivated solely by my concern for the wildlife, particularly the fledgling birds that I believed were at risk. My intention was to help, not to cause disruption or confrontation.
“Since then, I have received a great deal of negative feedback from some members of the public. However, I have also been shown kindness and support by many local residents, who have told me they understand my actions and have expressed their respect.”
The meeting heard that parish clerk Amanda Coleman had carried out her own inquiries, which showed that the council had not formally authorised a farmer or other third party to undertake the cutting of Droskyn Field.
The review identified a number of informal email exchanges between councillors and officers concerning future maintenance of the field. These were not agenda discussions held at a meeting, so were not deemed to constitute council decisions.
Following the cutting of the field, the clerk spoke to the farmer concerned to establish the circumstances surrounding the works.
The farmer said that he understood authority had been given for the cutting to proceed. He recalled a conversation with Cllr Steve Arthur, during which he understood that the matter had been discussed and approved by the parish council.
The clerk had received additional information suggesting that discussions may have taken place during late 2025 between Cllr Peter Gaisford and the farmer regarding the possibility of a local farmer undertaking future cutting of the field. However, the farmer stated that no instruction was given at that time.
Cllr Arthur told us: “I was asked by the farmer months ago, he’d heard from another councillor that the council wanted him to cut the grass. I said they still do as far as I know but wait for the office to tell you. This all got confused over time – there was no malice involved. The farmer confirmed this at Monday’s meeting.
“The farmer is removing the hay that’s been cut and will cut the rest in September; what’s cut will be a problem if not removed.”
At Monday’s meeting, councillors noted advice from Cornwall Ecological Consultants that the cut undertaken on July 14 was considered to be in line with standard grassland management guidance and that no offence had been identified in relation to skylark nesting. As a result, the matter is not being reported to the police.
Following discussion, councillors concluded that the incident appeared to have resulted from a “miscommunication between a councillor and the farmer concerning the instruction to undertake the work. No further governance action was therefore pursued”.
Steve Sudworth, of the National Trust, advised that the cuttings should be removed as soon as possible and the remaining uncut areas should be left undisturbed for now, with a further cut taking place in late August or September.
In a statement, the parish council said it “recognises the importance of Droskyn Field as a valued open space and the strength of feeling locally about its future management.
“The agreed approach is intended to support the transition towards improved coastal grassland habitat, reduce the dominance of grass over time and allow longer-term biodiversity management to be considered through the appropriate committee process”.
The clerk reiterated that any future instructions relating to works on parish council land must be issued through the parish office in accordance with established policy and procedure.