More than two-thirds of the UK’s sheep farmers responding to a recent survey have experienced an increase in sheep worrying attacks by dogs during the past year.
The troubling statistic is part of a “concerning” set of findings released by the National Sheep Association (NSA) from its recent farmer’s survey assessing the incidence and impact of sheep worrying by dog attacks.
NSA received a record-breaking response for its 2021 survey specifically aimed at farmers who had experienced dog attacks in the past year. The increase in contributions indicates the scale of the serious problem.
On average, each respondent to the survey experienced seven cases of sheep worrying during the past year resulting in five sheep injured and two sheep killed per attack.
Estimated financial losses through incidents of sheep worrying of up to £50,000 were recorded – with an average across all respondents of £1570. However, most respondents…
