A CAMPAIGN has been launched urging dog owners to keep their pets under control as the cost of dog attacks on livestock more than doubled in Wales last year.

Wales accounted for a quarter of the cost of livestock attacks in the UK in 2018 – the only UK nation to see a rise in the cost of such attacks, according to NFU Mutual.

It estimates that the total cost of livestock worrying to the UK farming industry exceeded £1.2m last year. In Wales there was a huge rise in the cost of attacks in 2018, resulting in a massive 113 per cent increase. The estimated total cost to Welsh agriculture was £285,000.

Lambing season is now getting into full swing and in the last couple of weeks, the Cardigan area has witnessed several attacks, the worst at Abercych where officers from Ceredigion Rural Crime Team discovered a dozen sheep and lambs killed or seriously injured.

The Kennel Club has now launched its #WHEREISYOURDOG campaign following evidence from North Wales Police which shows that approximately 90 per cent of livestock worrying incidents in the region are caused by unaccompanied dogs.

It hosted an event in the Welsh Assembly on Wednesday (March 13) to raise awareness of the importance of dog owners always knowing where their dog is, and highlighting the risks that escaping dogs pose to livestock.

Whilst 95 per cent of owners put their dogs on a lead when they see a credible sign that livestock is present, the report by NFU Mutual indicates that 52 per cent of dog owners are allowing their dogs out unaccompanied in local gardens – and subsequently some then escape, with as many as one in six dog owners admitting their dog had previously escaped.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Advice to dog owners needs to address the most common cause of livestock attacks, which is currently dogs escaping from local homes and free-roaming. It is absolutely vital that dog owners know where their dog is; yet at times the only advice promoted is that dog owners should keep their dogs on leads at all times in the countryside.

“Such advice is outdated as we know that the vast majority of dog owners do keep their dogs on leads where livestock is present.

Ceredigion MP Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru’s agriculture spokesperson in Westminster said: “Most dog owners are responsible, but a small minority allow their dogs to run free and cause havoc on farms. The cost of dog attacks for this year is particularly disturbing given that England, Scotland, and the North of Ireland saw a decrease while in Wales we have seen attacks doubling. Clearly, then, this is a real problem that must be tackled.

“Too many sheep are being killed and horribly mutilated. I support calls by police forces and farming unions for the Welsh Government to amend the 1953 Dogs Act to assist in tackling this problem."