Plea to protect sheep and newborn lambs as more owners let dogs run free
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Dog owners are being urged to keep their animals under control as peak lambing season gets underway.
The call comes as new research by NFU Mutual shows around three quarters of dog owners allow their pets to roam off the lead in the countryside - an increase of nearly 10 per cent on last year.
This is despite around half saying their dog doesn’t always come back when called.
Owners could face a fine of tens of thousands of pounds if found to have been negligent around livestock.
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into force in November 2021 to bring in tougher powers, following years of campaigning by police and farmers after sharp increases in attacks on farm animals by out-of-control dogs.
Research conducted by NFU Mutual found that only four per cent of Scottish dog owners knew they could now be fined up to £40,000 if their dog attacked livestock and 27 per cent of surveyed knew they could now even be sent to prison if their dog attacked livestock.
Rebecca Davidson, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “It’s hard for people to imagine that their affectionate, family pet could injure or kill another animal and it’s not only physical attacks that can harm livestock.
“Even if a small dog chases sheep and they don’t make contact, they can separate lambs from their mothers or the distress and exhaustion from the chase can cause a pregnant ewe to die or miscarry.
“There’s a new generation of dog owners whose pandemic puppies are coming of age and they simply don’t know how their dog is going to behave around livestock.”
NFU Mutual is a member of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) and is working with key partners including NFU Scotland and Police Scotland to inform dog owners about their responsibilities.
NFU Scotland Rural Business Policy Adviser, Rhianna Montgomery, said: “The past few weeks have seen a spate of livestock worrying incidents, resulting in the death, injury and harassment of sheep. With hundreds of incidents across Scotland each year, the protection of livestock is paramount for our members, and we urge them to continue to report any livestock worrying incident to Police Scotland so appropriate action, under the powers of the new Bill, can be taken.
“It is alarming that the results of the NFU Mutual survey suggest that irresponsible dog ownership in Scotland may be on the increase. Working closely with other stakeholders, we need to inform and educate the public of good practice when taking access in the countryside with dogs, but also make them aware that the new bill puts greatly enhanced penalties in place to tackle the ongoing blight of livestock attacks by dogs.”
Speaking about the new bill, Inspector Alan Dron, Police Scotland National Rural Crime Co-ordinator, said: “Attacks on livestock by dogs is an emotive issue that impacts on rural communities throughout Scotland therefore Police Scotland welcomes this new legislation which can hopefully assist in preventing, reducing and tackling such instances.
“Its introduction is timely given the increase in dog ownership experienced during COVID and the aim of the campaign is designed to educate and raise awareness amongst dog owners, whether new or experienced, that their dog is very much their responsibility.”
