Selfish visitors put animals in danger
Farmer moves sheep after fish hooks and debris left
There have been calls for more public awareness over rubbish being left at rural hot spots after one farmer was forced to relocate animals to another part of the land over safety fears of litter.
Farmer Malin HolmefjordHeen owns Milton Farm, along the north shoreline of Loch Venachar, near Callander.
She has raised concerns over how littering is impacting the local area.
Since lockdown was eased, the area has been overrun with campers around the loch. Malin’s fields border on to the loch and they have had problems with day trippers and campers leaving behind piles of rubbish, including fishing hooks and human waste.
Malin said: “We have a lot of fishermen and that’s the real litter problem for us. They tend to leave their fishing hooks behind and our animals can go right down to the water and get the hooks stuck in their hooves. At the weekend we moved the animals to another field.”
Earlier this month the Stirling Observer told how 21 people were charged with irresponsible camping and environmental damage after parts of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park were left in a mess.
Areas were covered in rubbish over the first weekend after travel restrictions were lifted.
Campers left significant amounts of litter, including camping equipment, chairs and sleeping bags, broken glass and full bin bags of rubbish, and caused irreparable fire damage to trees and the ground in a number of locations around the National Park. At one site 19 bags of litter was collected and 10 at another while elsewhere a tree was so badly damaged by fire it may need to be felled.
“Littering is a massive problem, we need recycling, we need bins and we need park rangers on the ground”, Malin added, describing littering as “the curse of living in the National Park”.
She also says that at her farm there have been numerous instances of sheep worrying as pet owners allow their dogs to roam the land in close proximity of her sheep and lambs.
Stirling MP Alyn Smith has written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for
Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon, calling for a public awareness campaign on the impact of littering in rural locations and also to the Justice Secretary, calling for a maximum £5000 fine for those who litter.
During the lockdown, Mr Smith joined Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford in speaking to community councils, local businesses, farmers, and residents about the issues they were facing. Littering was one of the most frequent issues raised.
Mr Smith said: “Like most people, I was sickened to see the devastating damage that small groups of people had done to our local area. The Stirling area is a beautiful and welcoming place, but we need those who visit to give it the respect it deserves.
“Littering isn’t just unsightly, but it can disrupt ecosystems, and can be a real danger to animal welfare too.
“That is why last week, I wrote to the Justice Secretary, calling for a maximum £5000 fine for people who are littering. This wouldn’t mean that everyone who drops a crisp packet would face such a large penalty, but it would give the justice system the ability to better reflect the seriousness of some incidents of littering and environmental damage.
“However, at the same time, we cannot take our foot off the gas when it comes to educating people about this stuff. Schools already do their bit in talking about littering and anti-social behaviour. If more people are going to visit our stunning rural hot spots, then it’s only right that authorities undertake a public awareness campaign of the impact that leaving rubbish behind can have.
“The message is a simple one: please do visit our rural areas, but if you can bring rubbish with you, you can take it away again.”