Police issue warning on sheep worrying

POLICE Scotland has urged owners to keep their dogs on a lead and away from sheep in a nationwide appeal against worrying.

The appeal comes following a sheep worrying incident in Strachur last month, which resulted in an individual being charged and a dog control notice being issued.

The campaign has been launched by Police Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, NFU Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, the National Association (Scotland) and the Kennel Club to raise awareness among dog owners of the effects sheep worrying can have on livestock.

The campaign will run until the end of May, and highlights that owners must act responsibly and keep their dogs under control when walking in the countryside.

The message is particularly important at this time of year when sheep farms are busy preparing for the arrival of lambs. Pregnant ewes and newborn lambs are particularly vulnerable to dog attacks or being chased, and this can lead to significant injury with sheep often being killed or destroyed.

Sergeant Iain MacNicol from Mid Argyll Kintyre and the Islands Police said: ‘I urge all owners to keep dogs on a lead and well away from sheep.

‘Even when dogs are on a lead and in the same field as sheep, livestock can be startled and this can be a major issue considering ewes are pregnant at this time of year.’

Police Scotland are also enforcing the existing legislation to ensure all reported cases of sheep worrying are investigated and offenders reported to the procurator fiscal.

Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, the owner and the person in charge of a dog can be charged with an offence and, if convicted, be fined up to £1,000 and made to pay a compensation order. The local authority can also apply for an order to have the dog destroyed.

Gemma Cooper, policy manager at NFU Scotland, said: ‘NFUS welcomes this campaign and urges the public to ensure that when accessing fields with livestock, they ensure dogs are under proper control. They should not go into fields with very young lambs.’

Farmers and those who use the countryside are urged to report incidents of livestock worrying to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.