Farmer at ‘wits’ end’ over sheep-worrying
Despair as ewe left seriously injured after dog attack
A Drymen sheep farmer says he is at his “wits’ end” after one of his animals was attacked by a dog this week.
John Pirie runs Blarnavaid Farm and he was this week left treating one of his black-faced ewes after it was severely injured in a dog attack.
The incident occurred shortly before 11am on Tuesday.
Mr Pirie discovered the injured sheep – which was mauled on its back end, leaving gruesome wounds.
He says that sheep-worrying incidents have increased over the years, adding: “I’m at my wits’ end. In the last three months I’ve lost count of the number of sheepworrying incidents we’ve had.”
A nearby business caught grainy CCTV footage of a small, black, terrier-type dog in the area at the time of the attack, but the owner has yet to be traced.
Following the incident, Mr Pirie treated the sheep’s wounds and administered penicillin.
Yesterday (Thursday) he was left hunting his 70 acres of land after the sheep disappeared. He speculated that the sheep had “gone somewhere quiet and secluded to die”.
He added: “Someone out there must know who this dog belongs to. I’m a dog lover myself and I want to make it clear, it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s in their nature, it’s the careless owners that are to blame.”
The farm is currently in the midst of lambing season.
Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, if a dog worries sheep on agricultural land, the person in charge of the dog is guilty of an offence. The Act considers sheep worrying to include attacks on sheep, chasing them in a way that may cause injury, suffering, abortion or loss of produce or being at large – not on a lead or otherwise under close control – in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep.
Mr Pirie added: “I see it all the time, but if you say to someone who doesn’t have their dog on a lead they usually say ‘my dog wouldn’t do that’ but the sheep don’t know that.”
In the UK, farmers can apply for a shotgun licence to be used in case of attacks on livestock.
Mr Pirie says that at one point he patrolled his land with his gun as attacks became so frequent, taking him away from his crucial farming duties.
The farmer has been a long campaigner for tougher laws on livestock attacks. In February 2019, he told the Observer how he welcomed any moves to toughen up the law. At the time, he said: “These folk need to be hit where it hurts them – in the pocket.”
This week, the Scottish Parliament passed a bill which offers better legal protection to livestock from domestic dogs.
The Private Member’s Bill, brought forward by SNP MSP for South Scotland Emma Harper, was backed unanimously.
It increases the penalties for livestock worrying, with offenders being hit with a fine of up to £40,000 or 12-months’ imprisonment for allowing their dogs to chase, attack or kill livestock.
The definition of livestock has also been widened under the legislation to include alpacas, llamas, and buffalo.
Stirling SNP MP Alyn Smith said: “With lambing season in full swing, this change in law will be welcomed by many farmers across the rural Stirling area.
“Recent years have seen incidents of dogs attacking sheep and other livestock locally, and all farmers want is for the law to properly protect their livestock.
“Most dog owners behave responsibly and adhere closely to the outdoor code, especially when near farmland. But a small number of people behave utterly irresponsibly, putting livestock at risk, as well as their own dogs.
“Over the next few weeks, we hope to see restrictions on travel lift across the country.
“This will undoubtedly lead to more people visiting our rural areas, as holidays abroad are not currently an option. It is all the more important that every protection possible is in place to protect farmers and their stock, and this new law will go some way to addressing that.”
It’s not the dog’s fault, it’s in their nature, it’s the careless owners that are to blame