Norfolk farmer welcomes laws allowing police to seize dogs
Insurers NFU Mutual found the cost of dog attacks on farm animals has become more expensive
Last updated 21st Mar 2023
A Norfolk farmer has welcomed laws which would allow police to seize dogs.
It's after insurers NFU Mutual found the cost of dog attacks on farm animals has become more expensive, with the cost of livestock rising to £1.8 million in 2022 from £1.3 million in 2020.
"The strain on the sheep is huge"
Nick Deane farms in Hoveton:
"It seems disappointing that you need to increase penalties and sticks involved for people to be aware about all of this.
"But it is really important that we get this right, because the strain on the sheep is huge, not just if they are more than attacked.
"They can be chased, they can abort, they can run into ditches, they can drown, they can go through fences.
"The cost to farmers and the emotional stress of arriving in a field and seeing a lot of sheep that have been attacked by dogs is huge. Unfortunately, it is generally down to the irresponsibility of the owners."
"It's the distress itself that can be as damaging"
He says everyone's got a part to play:
"I suspect that some people aren't even aware that dog owners are capable of all this. The survey that was done shows that 64% of dog owners know that their dogs do chase livestock, but 46% think that their animal won't kill it.
"They don't have to kill the animal to cause it distress, that's the awareness part of it. It's the distress itself that can be as damaging as the actual physical damage.
"It's infuriating as well. It makes you really angry as you've have brought up these sheep and nurtured them- then through an act of carelessness you see a devastating impact.
"Financially it's clearly very significant because if a sheep loses her lambs then she has no production for that year."