Appeal - prevent sheep deaths by keeping dogs on leads
A commercial sheep farmer from Hampshire is appealing to dog walkers to keep their dogs on leads near livestock.
Gordon Wyeth of Maple Farm, Ropley, wants people to know that thousands of sheep and cattle die as a result of injuries caused by dogs every year. His warning comes at a time when ewes are in lamb and likely to abort if chased by dogs.
Mr Wyeth, a sheep farmer who also provides shepherding services, has been faced with the distressing aftermath of dog attacks on his flocks on countless occasions during the past year. He said: "We run 6,500 ewes ourselves and we have nearly 10,000 sheep in different places around Hampshire and near Farnham in Surrey. A lot of the land is crossed by footpaths where people walk their dogs and very few keep them on a lead."
On one occasion last year, dogs chased his sheep into a river at Kingsley in Hampshire.
"The worst attack was at Four Marks last April - a ewe which was in lamb with twins had her throat ripped out. The suffering of this sheep was terrible - she was still breathing when she was found, but we had to have her humanely destroyed and the twin lambs died too," explained Mr Wyeth.
Two of his ewes were then killed in a dog attack two days after Christmas at Blacklands Farm near Basingstoke. An eye witness reported seeing three boys with a small black dog but no one was brought to account for the deaths.
Mr Wyeth later spotted another dog chasing sheep at the same farm on January 14, in the presence of its owner. Mr Wyeth reprimanded the dog's owner who appeared not to recognise that his pet had got off lightly. If a dog worries livestock, the dog owner or the person responsible for the animal at the time is guilty of an offence under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 and may be sued for compensation by the farmer.
Mr Wyeth added: "If ewes are worried at this time of year they can abort their lambs. Dog owners may view their pet chasing sheep as a minor incident - but it has major consequences for animal welfare and farmers' livelihoods."
Livestock worrying is very distressing to farmers and costs the industry around £2m per year.
"Owners forget that the friendly family pet can turn wolf. But they should remember that the law allows farmers to shoot dogs that are threatening livestock," said an NFU South East spokeswoman.
She added: "People find it hard to believe that their pet can be a hazard to livestock. But whatever their temperament, dogs have a chase instinct that can be triggered by the sight or movement of farm animals. That's why it is so important to keep dogs on leads near livestock and under control at all times."
Farmers can obtain free, durable signs from the NFU (tel: 01730 711950) to erect near footpaths. They read: "Even your dog can scare or harm farm animals. Please put it on a lead near livestock."
Mr Wyeth will be erecting these warning signs besides paths where his sheep are grazing over the coming weeks.
Media can contact Gordon Wyeth to fix a photocall on: 07734 534140/ 01962 773449. Photos showing the grisly results of sheep worrying are available from NFU South East PR Officer Isobel Bretherton email isobel.bretherton@nfu.org.uk
