Farmers’ body criticises ‘sheep worrying’ in film

Adog owned by fun farmer character “Beano”, which features in a new Netflix family film, has prompted an angry response from the National Sheep Association (NSA), which says one scene in the film portrays a “concerning case of sheep worrying”.

While accepting that the film is light-hearted and directed at a family audience, the sheep farmers’ organisation still feels the Netflix offering is effectively a promotion of sheep worrying by dogs.

“We must call out the fact that the serious problem many farmers face, of dogs chasing and attacking sheep, has been ignored,” said NSA chief executive Phil Stocker, who represents farmers throughout Scotland and England.

“All too often farmers affected by an attack on their flock hear the words from dog owners, ‘he was only playing’.

“The scene in the film does nothing to help with the correct message that NSA and many other farming organisations have been trying to deliver for years.

“What might appear to be play to a dog owner is very much one-sided and prey animals such as sheep are distressed by this, often with extremely severe consequence.”

On the question of whether or not such a view is heavy-handed by NSA, the association pointed to the results of its 2022 survey of sheep worrying cases.

This showed that, in line with previous survey results, farmers once again reported an increase in the incidence of attacks.

No less than 76% of farmers believe cases of worrying have increased over the past three years, with many identifying the increase in dog ownership during the Covid-19 pandemic as a perceived cause for the rise.

Most survey respondents said they had multiple sheep worrying incidents during the past year, somewhere between one and 10.

The average financial loss was £1,232 per farmer per year.

However, most respondents received no or very little compensation.

In addition, according to the NSA, more than half of respondents suffered abuse, with almost 50% being ignored by the dog owner. Some farmers even experienced personal intimidation.

The dog in Netflix’s Christmas On Mistletoe Farm is a Great Dane called Rudolph, which, according to NSA’S interpretation, is “clearly untrained and unsuitable” as a sheepdog, as it is seen chasing several ewes and causing distress to the animals.

“Taking a walk in our beautiful countryside is something many families will enjoy over the coming weeks, but NSA urges those walking with dogs to be responsible pet owners by keeping their animals on leads and under control whenever they are near sheep,” said Mr Stocker.

“Any dog, no matter its breed, can cause distress to sheep by barking, chasing and attacking them.

“It is a serious animal welfare issue that puts both sheep and much-loved pets at risk. It must never be seen as the harmless fun portrayed by this film.”