Sheep producers have urged ministers to take advantage of current legislation passing through parliament by introducing tougher new measures to stop the rising problem of dog attacks on livestock.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill currently progressing through its various parliamentary stages offers a prime opportunity to bring much needed action, sheep sector groups say.
Livestock worrying by dogs is a serious issue for farmers, often resulting in severe injuries and even death of affected animals.
During the months of January and February and moving into spring, ewes are likely to be carrying lambs, meaning the consequences can be felt even more keenly with heavily pregnant ewes then at risk of miscarriage due to stress.
A surge in lockdown pets and countryside visits, along with a lack of awareness about how dogs will behave around farm animals, are believed to be driving the rise in incidents.
The National Sheep Association (NSA) said it had recently received a spate of reports, highlighting a rise in the number of attacks causing "untold stress and significant animal welfare concerns".
Cases reported recently include sheep killed by a train after a dog chased them onto a railway line and a case of the RSPCA being alerted when a sheep was chased off of a cliff by a dog.
The industry body said it was 'ludicrous' for the government to 'continually ignore' the impact of sheep worrying, given its post-Brexit drive to boost animal welfare standards.
“Simply including the instruction for dogs to be on a lead when in the proximity of, or likely to come into contact with grazing livestock, would reduce these terrible incidents," said NSA chief executive Phil Stocker.
"Increasing the fines would act as a deterrent for irresponsible dog owners who do not keep their dogs under control.”
The sector has welcomed actions being taken in Scotland, with the recent strengthening of legislation to increase penalties for owners who let their dogs attack livestock to a maximum fine of £40,000 and/or 12 months imprisonment.
A new campaign from Police Scotland and other rural bodies titled ‘Your Dog – Your Responsibility’ is highlighting the increased penalties for those found guilty of letting their pets worry, kill or injure farmed animals.
Grace Reid, NSA Scottish Region Coordinator, said farmers were 'extremely pleased' to see the strengthening of Scottish legislation, urging ministers in the UK's other nations to adopt an 'equal approach'.
"However, it is clear much more education and responsibility is required when accessing the countryside to prevent the use of strengthened powers.
"In its simplest form, each dog owner should have complete and total control over their dog at all times and this sadly is not the case.”
According to the latest figures by NFU Mutual, the cost of dog attacks on livestock increased by over 10% to £1.3 million in 2020.
During that year, the worst affected region by cost was the North East, where farm animals worth an estimated £240,000 were savaged by dogs, with the Midlands, South West and Wales being the next most seriously affected.
One farmer who has been impacted by the problem is South Devon sheep producer Rich Rossiter, whose flock graze the cliff fields of one of the south coast's most popular areas.
“We are frequently faced with sheep having been chased off of cliffs, into roads, pushed into cattle grids and physically attacked by dogs whose owners don’t believe their animals are capable of such things," he said.
"This is easy to stop – Keep dogs on leads. It is not difficult, and it is what a responsible dog owner would do.”
