THE National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is urging dog walkers to #takethelead and near livestock when visiting the countryside over Easter.

Thousands of sheep and cattle die as a result of injuries caused by dogs every year and, according to NFU Mutual, livestock worrying costs the industry an estimated £1.6m. But this figure is just the tip of the iceberg as many losses are uninsured and often unaccounted for.

The NFU’s warning comes as pastures are full of ewes grazing with their newborn lambs and ewes that are due to give birth.

Earlier this month, farmers took to the beauty spots of the South Downs to raise awareness among dog owners of the need to keep dogs on a lead near livestock, supported by the South Downs National Park Authority with its #takethelead campaign.

NFU adviser James Osman said: “Over the Easter break, the NFU is reminding people to keep dogs on a lead rather than letting them run freely because livestock may be nearby. Dogs naturally have a chase instinct and they can inflict the most terrible bites on sheep which can die slowly and painfully of their injuries. Pregnant ewes can also abort their lambs if chased by dogs.

“Dog attacks on livestock should be avoided at all costs. They can end in tragedy both for the farmer and for the dog owner whose pet can legally be shot by a farmer if it’s chasing sheep or cattle.”

If a dog worries livestock, the dog owner or the person responsible for the animal at the time is guilty of an offence under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 and may be sued for compensation by the farmer.

Isle of Wight NFU chairman Matt Legge, a commercial sheep farmer and pedigree sheep breeder, explained that sheep farming was a labour of love.

He said: “It takes two years of care and attention for me to raise a sheep - from lamb to breeding ewe, when she can go on to produce her own lambs. So it is heartbreaking for a farmer when flocks are attacked by dogs.

“I’d ask dog walkers to be conscious that even the smallest dog can injure a sheep, so #takethelead and use a lead around livestock. This is a critical time in the sheep farming year when our ewes have lambs with them and many others are about to give birth.”

Ropley sheep farmer Gordon Wyeth has first-hand experience of dog attacks on sheep.

Responsible for 9,000 sheep across Hampshire and neighbouring West Sussex, he is fully on board with the #takethelead campaign and is really keen to get the message out that it is vital to farmers that dog owners keep their animals on the lead around livestock.

The loss of a prized ewe in an attack on a flock at Dockenfield, near Alice Holt Forest, in January, was followed two weeks ago by further attacks in Winchfield, Binsted, and at Home Farm, Ropley.

Due to start lambing any day now, as a working farmer Mr Wyeth carries a gun and, he said, he will use it to shoot a dog if he sees it worrying his sheep. It would not, he stressed, be an action he would want to take because it would not be the dog’s fault.,