Livestock death toll sparks call for crackdown on dogs

Tory politician demands tough action for allowing pets to roam near farm animals

A worrying livestock death toll in Tayside and Fife has sparked calls for laws to be tightened.

One Perthshire farmer said lambs on his steadings have died three times in the last two years, either through dog attacks or worrying.

It comes as new figures show 86 police reports of livestock worrying in Tayside and Fife over the last five years.

Jordan Smeaton, who runs three steadings, said: “In the last few years we’ve had three separate dog attacks – one about a month ago, one around spring and one the year before, where the lambs were mauled. The best way forward is for people to think, make them aware and have them keep dogs on leads because they don’t know what’s around the next corner.”

Scottish Conservative shadow rural economy secretary Peter Chapman called for legislative changes to strengthen police powers as fixed penalties are currently the responsibility of local authorities in Scotland.

A bill currently with the Scottish Parliament also suggests increasing fines and giving police more powers to collect evidence.

A Perthshire farmer told how he has lost lambs to three separate sheep worrying attacks in less than two years as new figures highlight the seriousness of the problem across Tayside and Fife.

Jordan Smeaton, who runs steadings in Abernethy, Bridge of Earn and Dupplin Estates, has suffered financially after falling victim to numerous incidents.

The farmer wants dog walkers to be aware sheep worrying harms his livestock not just in lambing season but throughout the year.

He said: “In the last few years we’ve had three separate dog attacks – one about a month ago in Abernethy, one around spring time at Bridge of Earn and one the year before at Dupplin Estates, where the lambs were mauled.

“The dogs had pulled the wool off them and were starting to eat them.

“We’ve had to put some lambs down and it stunted the growth of the rest of them.”

While the Dupplin Estate attack was the only incident during which dogs killed the livestock, Mr Smeaton stressed he lost lambs in all the other attacks.

Following attacks, lambs can be stillborn or die from stress and worried sheep lose eggs and become infertile.

He said: “It was lambing time at the Bridge of Earn and while there was sheep still giving birth the dog went through the middle of them.

“We lost a lot of young lambs and a few were stillborn. It’s all through stress – that’s what people don’t understand. It’s hard to put a financial cost on it.”

Mr Smeaton has called for dogs to be kept on leads at all times and for owners to stay away from fields with livestock.

He said: “The best way forward is for people to think, make them aware and have them keep dogs on leads.

“They really shouldn’t be near livestock with a dog anyway.”

The issue of sheep worrying is a growing concern across Tayside and Fife.

In Tayside and Fife, there were 86 total reports of dogs worrying livestock over the last five years, with 41 in Perth and Kinross, 32 in Fife and 13 in Angus.

All offences were recorded under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 so the number may be higher.

According to Police Scotland, 338 incidents of livestock worrying were reported to them in 2018 alone.

Only 131 were investigated due to evidential constraints.

Farmers are calling for dogs to be kept on leads at all times and for owners to stay away from fields with livestock.