Foxes remain the most likely culprit for lamb attacks on Scottish farms rather than badgers, a new study by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has suggested.
Twenty-seven farms across Scotland that suspected they had previously lost lambs to badger predation volunteered to take part in the research.
The study used a questionnaire to better understand farmers’ concerns regarding potential badger predation.
In recent years, there have been growing concerns in the Scottish farming sector about the suspected role badgers play in killing lambs.
This was supported by a survey in 2019 indicating that 11% of wildlife attacks on livestock were attributed to badgers, increasing to more than 30% in regions with higher badger density.
But new research facilitated by the RVC, released today (2 September), has found that despite farmer perceptions, foxes remain the most likely culprit for lamb attacks.
The research, which was led by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), in partnership with NatureScot, NFU Scotland and Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), set out to assess the role of badgers in lamb predation.
Post-mortem examinations were carried out to confirm if predation was the cause of death, or if the lamb had died from another reason and had then been scavenged.
DNA analysis was also conducted by researchers to identify what species had been in contact with the carcass.
The findings revealed that predation was confirmed in 48% of lambs. Thirty-one percent were found to be scavenged after death and predation could not be ruled out for the remaining 21%.
Fox DNA was present on 87% of the lambs, including all the lambs that showed evidence of predation.
Meanwhile, badger DNA was only detected on 5% of lambs but not on any of the lambs where predation was confirmed.
The results suggest that foxes remain the most likely culprit for lamb predation where it occurs on Scottish farms.
Henny Martineau, head of veterinary forensic pathology at the RVC, said the research had provided 'vital evidence' to ease concerns that badgers are the main culprit of lamb attacks on Scottish farms.
"Working as a team with multiple specialists in the field together with good farmer engagement, helped us to interpret our findings quickly and effectively.
“The patterns of injury recorded during post-mortem examination will also serve as a reference for working out what predator species could be responsible for lamb attacks in the future.”
Sheila George, wildlife biologist at SASA, added that while livestock predation can be distressing for farmers, understanding the species responsible was needed.
She said: “We did not find DNA evidence that badgers killed lambs or regularly scavenged carcasses, but DNA analysis indicated that foxes were responsible where predation occurred.
"The findings show the importance of taking an evidence-based approach and should help identify appropriate mitigation to reduce future predation risk.”
