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New legislation on dog attacks welcomed by sheep farmers
A sheep farmer who has lost tens of thousands of pounds as a result of her animals being attacked by dogs over the years has welcomed new legislation designed to tackle the problem.
Caroline Harriott, who keeps sheep on several downland locations in West Sussex and the Weald, said she was relieved that proposals in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill would give the police new powers to tackle livestock worrying as well as extending the range of animals protected.
“I estimate that we have had around 100 sheep
DOG ATTACK HIGHLIGHTS COST OF SHEEP WORRYING
injured or killed by dogs over the past 10 years,” she told South East Farmer. “At the very least each incident will have a financial cost of £100, not to mention the time taken to deal with it and the distress caused. At the other end of the scale, if you lose a breeding sheep to a dog attack the costs can run into thousands of pounds.”
The former chair of West Sussex NFU has had regular meetings with the police, including one recently with Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne and Chief Constable Jo Shiner, and has worked hard to promote the Take the Lead campaign that encourages dog walkers to behave responsibly in the South Downs National Park. She also petitioned her MP, Tim Loughton, for a change in the law.
Another recent victim of irresponsible dog ownership is Hugh Passmore, who farms near Worthing, again in West Sussex, and who lost a ewe to an attack by two dogs in April. Police have spoken to the owner and investigations are ongoing, but in the meantime the farmer believes he is out of pocket by around £1,000.
“We came across the attack while it was going on, which was absolutely horrendous,” he recalled. “The ewe had to be put down, with the vet bill and disposal costing around £300. We then had to take care of her two, week-old lambs – and there is the lost income from potential future lambs to consider.
“A week or so later we had a single lamb attacked but with no sign of the dog or its owner. Both attacks were horrific, stressful and wasted so much time. It took the rest of the sheep a week to settle down.”
Both Caroline and Hugh want the courts to be able to impose higher financial penalties, although Caroline welcomes the fact that under the existing proposals anyone convicted of allowing a dog to worry animals will at least end up with a caution on their police record.
“At the moment someone can be arrested and taken to court, but the penalty falls far short of reflecting the carnage caused by their dog,” she said. “The problem is particularly bad on the edge of urban areas, where commercial dog walkers are often trying to control several animals, including rescue dogs and breeds that have been designed to hunt and kill.
“In one sense this is not so much a crime as simply carelessness, but it can have a devastating result. Only if they get penalised will people think about acting differently. It’s a simple message really - if your dog is on a lead it’s not going to cause any damage.”
Hugh added: “I am hoping there will be more of a deterrent and more incentive for people to keep an eye on their dogs rather than letting them run free and off the lead. We need the deterrent of bigger fines as some people aren’t listening, however hard you work at hammering home the message.”
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said dog attacks on livestock had “a massive impact on farm businesses, both practically but also emotionally for a farming family” and welcomed the Government’s “clear action to strengthen the law in this area to give police more powers and tackle a growing issue for farmers“.
The NFU also wants to see a clear rule that dogs should always be on a lead around livestock. “We believe the current wording that a dog has to be under ‘close control’ around livestock causes confusion for dog owners, farmers and the police,” said Stuart.
The National Sheep Association also welcomed plans for stronger legislation on livestock worrying but agreed extra police powers should have been further backed up by a significant increase in the maximum fines. Chief Executive Phil Stocker commented: “This was an opportunity to create a major deterrent to this antisocial behaviour by substantially increasing the maximum applicable fine alongside more proactive measures to prevent attacks occurring. DEFRA and ministers responsible for English legislation are missing a trick in not taking the opportunity to increase fines in line with what the Scottish Parliament has done.”
> Caroline Harriott and Meg
NEW RULES WILL PROTECT GAMEBIRDS
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has welcomed the announcement that enclosed gamebirds will be included within the enhanced livestock worrying legislation planned for England and Wales.
The move to add enclosed gamebirds to the list of animals protected by the legislation is included in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill and was welcomed by Glynn Evans, BASC’s head of game and gundogs.
He said: “Expanding the scope of the legislation and introducing new powers to tackle livestock worrying is welcome news for the farming and gamekeeping community. The issue of livestock worrying is as distressing as it is devastating – any action to safeguard livestock is to be supported.
“Out of control dogs can cause havoc to enclosed gamebirds on the rearing field and in release pens.”
