SAVED: PAGE: ACTIVE AREA:

Helping Reduce Conflict Caused by Poorly Managed Dogs and Their Owners on Farmland

Union teams up with The Kennel Club to offer farmers and crofters support.

Livestock worrying is one of the biggest issues that farmers, crofters and landowners face through irresponsible access by dog owners.

For livestock, it is not just the physical attacks by dogs that can cause damage; even allowing dogs to chase or ‘play’ with sheep or cattle, for example, can cause untold damage – from emotional issues to abortions to rendering the animal unable to be used for breeding in future. In addition, there are significant emotional issues for the farmers involved who work tirelessly to breed quality sheep to the highest welfare standards and depend on their stock for income.


As lambing and calving season gets going coinciding with some lockdown restrictions easing, NFU Scotland are to run a webinar for its members to provide some practical steps to support and help them manage the behaviour of dogs and reduce conflict with dog owners on their farmland.  

The Zoom event hosted by NFU Scotland with support by The Kennel Club will take place on Wednesday 24 March 2021 at 7.00pm and registration in advance is recommended using this link https://bit.ly/3l24NAi

Attendees will learn about:

  • reducing conflict arising from access takers with dogs and local dogs that escape or allowed to roam,
  • cover principles of dog walker behaviour which informs how best to influence behaviour face-to-face, using signage and path management;
  • opportunities and limitations of legal remedies;
  • income generation from dog walking fields and commercial dog walkers.


The event will be chaired by Tom French, NFU Scotland Legal & Technical Chair who commented: “‘This webinar will be invaluable for any farmers and crofters who have issues with dog access to the countryside. We know that there are still ongoing problems with this type of access taking, not least with livestock worrying and dog fouling. We would urge members to attend this session, which will highlight practical ways to deal with issues and also highlight the rights that underpin this.’

Specialist guest speaker, Stephen Jenkinson, the Kennel Club’s Access and Countryside Advisor added; “No-one in the countryside seeks conflict, be they farmers or dog owners, and so this partnership between the Kennel Club and NFU Scotland will help land managers take practical steps to prevent problems occurring from pets being walked and local dogs that have escaped. This mirrors the Kennel Club’s training and education programmes for dog walkers; if everyone knows simple steps to change their behaviour we can make the outdoors a better place for all.”

There will be a Question and Answer session at the end of presentations.

Ends

Contact Diana McGowan on 07920 018619

Author: Diana McGowan

Date Published:

News Article No.: 45/21


< Article List

Close

Report Abusive Comment

Comment Content:

Why it offends me (optional):



Have Your Say

No-one has commented on this article yet. Be the first to have your say...

New Comment

Share

Total Pages:
Total Results:
Page Start:
Page Result #:

About The Author

Diana McGowan

Diana joined NFU Scotland in October 2019 bringing with her over 20 years work experience in communication roles in tourism, events and forestry in both private and public sectors. She is now a key member of the Communications team and is Editor of the Union’s flagship Scottish Farming Leader magazine.

Quick Contact

 
 
Which Region do you live in?  
Are you a member of NFU Scotland?  
 
 

This form collects and sends the information supplied to NFU Scotland. You can read our privacy policy for full details on how we protect and manage your data.
  I consent to having NFU Scotland collect the above details.

Registred Address

NFU Scotland
Head Office
Rural Centre - West Mains
Ingliston, Midlothian
EH28 8LT

Place of registration: Scotland

Company Registration Number: SC214564

Tel: 0131 472 4000
Email: info@nfus.org.uk

NFU Mutual Logo

Get the App

NFUS App QR Code

©NFU Scotland • All Rights Reserved • Web design by Big Red DigitalLog in

Close

Contact Us

 

 

 

No Robots:

This form collects and sends the information supplied to NFU Scotland. You can read our privacy policy for full details on how we protect and manage your data.
  I consent to having NFU Scotland collect the above details.