DOG owners in the Lutterworth area are being urged to help keep livestock safe while out walking in the countryside this spring.
A campaign launched by the Harborough District Community Safety Partnership is reminding dog owners to keep their pets on a lead when walking near livestock and farmland, to prevent animals being injured or killed.
Owners can be fined up to £1,000 for livestock worrying – the legal term for an unleashed dog chasing or attacking farm animals.
And farmers have the legal right to shoot and kill a dog which is worrying livestock and cannot be controlled.
Harriet Ranson, NFU county adviser for Leicestershire, said: “The utter devastation caused by livestock worrying is hard to overestimate. It is the time of year when lambs are being born and a dog – no matter how small – chasing pregnant ewes around a field can lead to the deaths of not only the sheep but her unborn lamb too.”
The campaign also highlights how dog fouling on farmland can present dangers to farm animals and wildlife.
Harriet added: “We urge people to ensure their pets are under control at all times – a legal requirement, stick to public rights of way, and to bag and bin their dog’s poo as this can cause illness and death among farm animals too.
“By respecting our rural areas and the people who live and work there, you are helping the countryside remain a place which everyone can enjoy.”
Visit https://tinyurl.com/5f4mx7jv for more information.
