A farmer in Wales has been left distraught after an out-of-control dog killed 50 of his ewes in a dog attack on January 16.
Gwent Police have launched an investigation following the incident which occurred on a farm in North Monmouthshire.
Taking to Twitter, the police force stated:
We are investigating the death of 50 ewes in North Monmouthshire, following a livestock worrying incident where the sheep were forced into the corner of a field and died there.
We are investigating the death of 50 ewes in North Monmouthshire, following a livestock worrying incident where the sheep were forced into the corner of a field and died there. This is taken seriously by all #ruralcrimeteams @FarmWatcherUK
Report all livestock attacks on 101 pic.twitter.com/bktm0oyaMV— Gwent Police | Rural Crime Team (@GPRuralCrime) January 16, 2021
“This is taken seriously by all Rural Crime Teams. Report all livestock attacks on 101.”
FUW warns of livestock attacks
The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) is urging members to report all incidents of livestock attacks to the police to ensure that the right actions can be taken.
FUW deputy president Ian Rickman said: “Avoidable losses, such as those that occur when a dog chases or attacks livestock, remain a significant source of frustration for the livestock sector in Wales.
Industry initiatives, such as the FUW campaign ‘Your dog, Your responsibility’ which widened the message to respecting the countryside, picking up after your dog, keeping dogs on a lead near livestock and making sure dogs don’t escape from home, have had some impact but sadly we keep hearing about more incidents recently.
Rickman added that the FUW recognises that there is no one ‘quick fix’ to this issue, and that a mixture of education, campaigning and legislative changes are needed.
“As part of our work in this area, we will continue to lobby for real changes to be made to current legislation in order to provide a better deterrent to irresponsible dog ownership and to ensure that the penalties fit the seriousness of the crime.
However, to get a true picture of the situation and to help us get those legislative changes, we need farmers to report such incidents to the police.
Pembrokeshire PCSO Jude Parr from the Rural Crime Team said:
“I fear that farmers are not informing us as many just seem to deal with it themselves or go directly through to their insurers.
“We fear that numbers will increase because of lockdown and more people buying dogs.”
