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The UFU's legislation committee chairman James O’Brien has stressed the importance of new legislation to tackle the ever growing problem of animal worrying.
“New powers need to be implemented to make it compulsory for all dog owners to take steps to prevent their dogs escaping from their homes. There also needs to be legislation to make it compulsory for dog owners to report their dog’s involvement in attacks on livestock.”
Last year two NI dog owners received destruction for their dogs, while £2,324 was collected in fines from dog owners whose pets had engaged in incidences of livestock worrying.
Insurance company NFU Mutual has seen a 70% increase in claims for livestock worrying since 2015 across the UK.
Legislation
Current legislation states that dogs on land that contains livestock must be under control, meaning "restrained by a chain or other sufficient leash held by a person exercising proper control over the dog".
Dog owners should also be aware farmers have the right to kill dogs that are worrying livestock on the farm.
Summer effect
Mr O’Brien was cautious of the summer months as he expects a fluctuation of people walking dogs.
“With the summer holidays approaching, the message to dog owners is simple. Keep your dog on a lead when near livestock and bear in mind that once a dog has attacked livestock there is a high probability that they will attack again.”
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