Sheep worrying advice for lambing time

As lambing season gets under way, a string of recent sheep worrying incidents have left farmers asking what they can do to try to protect their flocks when they are at their most vulnerable.

The latest incident, which saw 27 ewes killed in a dog attack in Sittingbourne, Kent, between Christmas and the new year, has been branded one of the worst attacks on record.

See also: The farm diversification which trains dogs to stop sheep worrying

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is soon to launch its annual survey to members and the wider community to gauge the number and frequency of sheep worrying incidents.

But the results from the 2022 survey showed that 76% of farmers had reported an increase in attacks, which may be attributed to the rise in dog ownership during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Signage

Messaging and signage remain one of the most valuable preventative tools for farmers who keep livestock near footpaths, and the NSA website has a number of signs available for free to members.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: “Try to do whatever you can to warn people that there are sheep in the field and increase awareness from the public.

“It is really, really important that if farmers suffer an attack, however mild or bad, it is reported to the police and they ask the police for an incident number.

“If it is not reported, then it is not picked up as a statistic and the police can’t do anything about it, and we cant build evidence that it is a major problem.”

Stronger messaging

Terena Plowright, founder of SheepWatch UK, said educating the public is one of the hardest battles, and that messaging needs to be a strong deterrent.

“It is so difficult to educate the public – it’s mind-boggling,” said Ms Plowright. “People don’t seem to understand that sheep are completely defenceless.

“I think the big message is  that any dog will attack sheep – we need to see some big headlines, and some big fines.”

DNA testing

The Kept Animal Bill, which was first put to government in 2021, has introduced a number of new powers to allow police to crack down on livestock worrying incidents and improve the prosecution rate.

One new measure included in the bill is dog DNA testing.

Ms Plowright said: “The police now have dog DNA testing kits for this purpose, so they can take the DNA from the saliva left on the sheep and match this with the dog they suspect was involved in the attack.

“If people know that there’s DNA testing and there are big fines, maybe it will make a difference.”

Also included in the bill are modified powers of entry, allowing police officers to enter a premises to seize or identify a dog at any time, with the hope of collecting evidence to make a prosecution.