Sheep laws praised but 'horrific attacks' rising

Farmers have welcomed new powers to tackle dogs worrying sheep and a new unlimited fine but said cases were increasing and their impact was "horrific".

From Wednesday, police will be able to seize and detain dogs and take DNA samples, giving farmers stronger legal protections.

Worrying includes attacking livestock and chasing them in a way likely to cause injury or suffering, as well as allowing dogs to be loose and not properly controlled in fields or enclosures.

Farmers across the North of England welcomed the legislation being introduced in time for lambing season but said it was "difficult to educate" dog owners about the problem.

Helen Rebanks, from Matterdale near Ullswater in Cumbria and author of The Farmer's Wife, said: "It's a step further in the right direction, but I feel that if signs are in place to keep dogs on leads and they aren't adhered to, then fines should be issued.

"Once you've witnessed a dog attack on sheep you never forget it. It's awful.

"Our flock will only be safer if people keep their dogs on leads especially in spring around lambing time."

She said that dog owners "sometimes don't own up or take responsibility" for attacks.

It has been an offence to allow a dog to worry livestock since 1953, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the legislation had not kept pace with changes in the countryside.

The previous £1,000 cap on fines has now been scrapped and llamas and alpacas will be protected for the first time.

Owners can still commit an offence even if their dog does not make physical contact with livestock.

Jim Campbell, who owns Welton Farm, south of Dalton in Cumbria, said he was grateful the problem was being taken more seriously as previous fines did not cover the cost of attacks.

However, the 52-year-old said cases were rising and he was unsure if the law would "make much difference to incident numbers".

Campbell said: "We had a show champion sheep who was attacked by a dog and her wounds were so bad we had to euthanise her.

"It's not just the sheep being physically attacked, being chased can be equally damaging.

"It's hard educating people, there is a level of ignorance and arrogance to it because some dog owners feel entitled to let their dogs off the lead - very rarely it is the dog's fault."

The managing director of the Farmer Networks of Cumbria, Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales, Adam Day, welcomed the new powers, but said farmers were "focusing on the destruction that is caused by attack or by chasing".

"Incidents have got worse - it's dreadful," he said.

Simon Bainbridge, who runs Bainbridge Farms in Donkin Rigg, Northumberland, said the protections had come at a "critical time of year for sheep farming".

"Spring is all about trying to get lambs off to a good start because they are vulnerable right now," he said.

"There is also another side to this, because dogs disturb nature which is coming to life, for example with ground nesting birds."

The 52-year-old, who represents the Country Land and Business Association, also said "dog owners needed to be responsible" because attacks were "hugely traumatic for everyone involved".

Mark Firby, who farms in Richmond in North Yorkshire, said the change to the law was "fantastic news".

He said some dog walkers were "touchy" if asked to put their pet on a lead but frightened sheep could run into fencing, break legs, or abort if in lamb.

"That's not fair on them, just for the sake of keeping your dog on a lead," he said.

"We don't want to spoil anybody's fun, but we have a duty of care to our stock."

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