Cumbria farmer warns dog owners after 28 lambs died

A sheep farmer who found dozens of lambs "drowned and suffocated" after a suspected dog attack has urged owners to keep their pets on a lead.

Nicola Robinson made the discovery of 28 dead lambs on her farm in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, in 2022.

Attacks on livestock, or sheep worrying, have gone up by 65% in the region in the past year, according to insurance company NFU Mutual.

The lambs had "tried to escape" but ended up in a stream, Ms Robinson said.

"[They] tried to get into the next field, and then were all piled up here, drowned and suffocated.

"It was quite upsetting at the time - me and my son were screaming and shouting and crying at each other."

Ms Robinson, who has about 400 lambs and makes her own sheep milk cheese, said the financial impact had been enormous.

"Each sheep would produce about 500 and 1,000 pints a year, for cheese value for the 28 lambs that would equate to £40,000.

"I can only presume they were chased by something as they must have been chased to end up in a pile. It was most likely a dog."

Another farmer in the town, Trevor Wilson, said his flock was affected by an incident of sheep worrying on Thursday.

"We've had one [lamb] aborted, one [ewe] was knocked out against a wall, it's actually come round but I would think the chances of it having live lambs is very small," he said.

"We're just asking people to take care when in the countryside, keep dogs on a lead."

NFU Mutual said livestock attacks were now costing farmers in the North West £180,000 per year.

Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at the insurers, said that even small dogs can cause "stress and exhaustion".

She said this can cause them to die and cause pregnant ewe's to "miscarry their lambs".

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