NSA welcomes support from RSCPA during sheep worrying week

During sheep worrying week, April 14th-21st, RSPCA stood alongside NSA in raising awareness by publishing the following press release. RPSCA also shares advice on responsible dog walking, which is available here.

This Sheep Worrying Week (April 14 -21) the RSPCA has issued important advice to dog walkers about keeping their dogs on leads around sheep and other farmed animals. 

Whilst the vast majority of dog owners take care around farmed animals as a matter of course, sadly accidents can happen and even the most seemingly docile and obedient dogs can get distracted and excited by grazing animals nearby. 

The charity has seen shocking incidents of sheep being injured or even killed by dogs which were off the lead. This is why the RSPCA is supporting the National Sheep Association’s Sheep Worrying Week and issuing important advice to all dog owners.

Holly Gower, RSPCA farm animal welfare expert for cattle, sheep and goats, said: “Whilst you might think there is no harm done if your dog momentarily chases livestock and comes back quickly without injuring them, being chased by a dog causes the animal stress and anxiety. This can cause lots of problems for farmed animals - and even lead to pregnancy loss, which is particularly tragic. Sheep are most likely to be impacted by livestock worrying and as a prey species this can cause significant distress for them. 
“Severe attacks can have a devastating effect, resulting in injury and even death. 
“This also has an adverse impact on the farmers themselves, both in terms of their livelihood and the emotional toll of seeing their animals suffer.

“This is why we want to see dog owners ensuring they’re being responsible pet owners by always keeping their dogs on leads around sheep and other farmed animals.”

It’s important to remember that livestock worrying is also a welfare concern for dogs too. They could become injured during the incident themselves and it is also lawful for farmers to shoot a dog to protect their livestock in some situations - which no one wants to happen. Owners could also be prosecuted by the police if their dog is caught worrying livestock.

There is a very simple way to stop any of this happening though – keep your dog on a lead around livestock. 

The RSPCA is urging dog owners to spread the word about being responsible around sheep and other farmed animals. The charity is also encouraging farmers to ensure they have good fencing to protect their animals and put up prominent signs to warn dog walkers that there are farm animals in fields.

However, the majority of incidents actually happen when dogs have escaped from a garden and their owners aren’t around, so it’s important to check garden hedges and fences are secure - and never leave your dog unattended in the garden if there’s any risk of them getting out. 

There’s also a risk to human safety - for example, if the dog’s owner or other people are in the field, cattle can understandably become defensive and charge, knocking people to the ground and potentially trampling over them. 

The RSPCA, Cheshire Police and the Naturewatch Foundation recently came together to raise awareness of the issue of livestock worrying under a new scheme called Operation Recall.

The scheme began as a local initiative in Cheshire - but is being rolled out to other police forces nationally with the support of the newly established National Rural Crime Unit. An educational video has been provided to police forces to use as part of restorative justice after an incident occurs. The scheme also includes an awareness raising campaign aimed at educating the public and preventing livestock worrying incidents in future. More information can be found online: https://naturewatch.org/campaigns/operation-recall/ 

What does the law say about livestock worrying?
The Dogs Protection of Livestock Act (1953) makes it an offence to allow a dog to worry livestock, and can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000.  

If you’re walking in the countryside and see a dog chasing livestock, then call the police first of all - you can call 999 if the worrying is still happening as it’s classed as an emergency.

Once you’ve called the police, try to contact the farmer - there may be a sign on the gate with the farmer’s number on it or search ‘farm’ on the map application on your phone which will show local farms and contact details.

Last year a law was proposed which would have further increased police powers to protect livestock from being chased and attacked by dogs - but this did not have enough time to progress through Parliament before the UK General Election. However, the RSPCA hopes similar legislation will be introduced to strengthen and update the law around livestock worrying in the future - and the RSPCA hopes to see this will be on the UK Government’s agenda soon.