Have you got your FUW dog attack warning signs?

DOG attacks on livestock in the countryside remain a major concern for farmers across Wales and to help the industry raise awareness of the problems arising from irresponsible dog ownership, the Farmers’ Union of Wales is handing out free gatepost warning signs at the Royal Welsh Show.

The signs are part of the FUW’s Your Dog, Your Responsibility campaign, which aims not only to highlight the devastation caused by dog attacks on livestock, but also the serious diseases that can be spread from dogs to cattle when owners do not clean up after their dog.

“The impact of a dog attack on a farming family can be devastating. Alongside causing horrific injuries, one dog attack can cost thousands of pounds in lost stock, veterinary bills and reduced growth rates,” said FUW senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright.

“In today’s marketplace, with ever-tighter margins, these additional costs have serious financial implications for the future solvency of the farm business.

“Our farmers are repeatedly faced with a field of dead or dying stock following a dog attack and many of them have now reached a financial and emotional breaking point.”

Despite numerous industry campaigns aimed at educating dogwalkers, there were 449 cases of livestock attacks between 2013-17 in north Wales alone.

As large as this number is, it is likely to be an underestimate, as it is known that farmers often don’t report such attacks.

“We have therefore launched our farmgate warning signs to provide members with a practical way to remind those walking dogs near livestock about their responsibilities and about the potential dangers,” Dr Wright added.

FUW members can pick up signs directly from any of the FUW’s 11 county offices across Wales, as well as from the FUW pavilion at the Royal Welsh Show.