Dog attacks on sheep continue to plight farmers, campaign warns

Dog attacks on sheep continue to plight farmers across the UK, impacting both animal welfare and farmers' mental wellbeing, a new campaign warns.

The annual livestock worrying awareness campaign has today (25 March) revealed concerning findings that indicate cases continue to increase.

The campaign, by the National Sheep Association (NSA), aims to highlight the severity of the issue and increase awareness amongst the public.

The body has conducted an annual farmer survey on the topic for years, with new results showing that attacks leaving animals at risk of miscarrying their young due to stress, injury or even death, continue to rise.
It shows that 78% of rural crime police teams across the country have reported an increase in dog attacks on sheep over recent years.

The majority (76%) of the forces reported that they respond to dog incidents at least once a month, with 33% of them dealing with incidents on a weekly basis.