Help please - dogs worrying sheep.

[Caractacus]

Hi All,

Can someone please let me know where I stand on the following situation?

A neighbouring farmer has his sheep in a field with a really poorly maintained fence. The fence is his property and on his land.

Some of his sheep escape from time to time onto our land.

Our two dogs like the taste of sheep and will quite happily eat them, with or without mint sauce. This has not happened (yet) though.

Now I know if our dogs run loose into the farmers field he can legally shoot to kill.

What's the story when his sheep get on our patch because he can't be bothered to maintain his fence? He says our dogs must be under control 100% of the time, even though we happily let them roam on our holding. Our holding, btw, is a mix of agricultural land and nature reserve. The area in question is a nature reserve (SSSI).

He also threatened to come to ours and shoot our dogs if there were any marks on them. I know he can't do that tho.

Any help or pointers in the right legal direction would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

C.

[Turn7]

No easy answer I would think.

Is it possible to bodge up the gaps to stop mutton roaming onto your site ?

Appreciate its not really yuor issue, but could be the easy solution ?

Besides which, having worked with Sheep, I can tell you the first that enters a sheeps head in the morning is "how can I die today ?" Hopeless bloody things, good job the youngsters taste damn fine!

[Caractacus]

Turn7 said:

Is it possible to bodge up the gaps to stop mutton roaming onto your site ?

He refuses to mend said fence and will not let me fix it, either.

You see the crappy fence allows his sheep to drink from the river. The river is on our property (we own both banks) and sheep then look at the other side and feel the grass really is greener...

[Turn7]

Can you not fence your side of the river then ?

[Jasandjules]

I would have reported him to the police for threatening to shoot your dogs on your land...... See what they say about it as discharging his gun on your land = serious matter I believe.

Tell him if he can't keep his sheep on his land then if they are killed that it his lookout and if he comes onto your land you will remove him by force and if he's carrying his gun on your land that you will call the police firearms unit.

I f***ng hate that kind of farmer.

[steve2]

I would have a word with the police letting them know that he will not repair his fence but as already said I would put a fence up on your side to protect your dogs rather than argue after he has shot them

[Fort Jefferson]

It's just as much your responsibility to keep them out, as it is his to keep them in.

[Thevet]

Get police involved asap, even though he can shoot on his land to protect his stock, it is absolutely illegal to shoot on land where there is no permission from the owner aka you. BIG penalties for such firearms transgressions esp if you have involved the BIB 1st. Also, contact DEFRA about his obligations to maintain his fences, and get your/his vet involved, as well as the local media. I would be keen to protect both a farming client from a PR disaster or a pet owning client from a nob who had no idea of biosecurity. In the mean time, you should try and protect the innocent sheep from harm from your dogs, try and round them up and check if all are double tagged as required by law, if not, then RSPCA/trading standards. HTH

[bexVN]

Hubby just suggested build your own fence on your own side of the boundary.

And I agree with the above. Police, RSPCA etc.

Farmer seems to be deliberately aggravating a potentially avoidable situation.

[Caractacus]

Thanks for the excellent assistance

I can't put a fence up due to the nature of the ground - it's a river bank and therefore really rocky. I would if I could though.

I think I'll call the Bib in the morning.

Ta,

C.

[AdiT]

As said by others, I'd be getting on the phone to the police. Tell them that he's threatened to come to your HOME and shoot you dogs.

Long term you might have no choice to fence on your side of the boundery. Even if there is someway of forcing him to repair/maintain the fence he could drag his feet over doing it and there's every chance there could be a "worrying" incident in the meantime. If he shoots your dogs when you're not present, there's nothing to stop him throwing the bodies over the fence and claiming they were on his land.

Who is responsible for SSSI? Is it designated as such because of endangered plants and are his sheep a threat to them?

ps. BBQ season is coming up. Mutton anyone?

Edited by AdiT on Saturday 14th April 23:17

[Caractacus]

AdiT said:

As said by others, I'd be getting on the phone to the police. Tell them that he's threatened to come to your HOME and shoot you dogs.

Long term you might have no choice to fence on your side of the boundery. Even if there is someway of forcing him to repair/maintain the fence he could drag his feet over doing it and there's every chance there could be a "worrying" incident in the meantime. If he shoots your dogs when you're not present, there's nothing to stop him throwing the bodies over the fence and claiming they were on his land.

Who is responsible for SSSI? Is it designated as such because of endangered plants and are his sheep a threat to them?

Thanks for the post. The SSSI is ours and is enforced by CCW (Countryside Council for Wales). Sheep are an utter no-go due to the way they graze. We have very rare wild flower meadows that have never been farmed intensivly, nor drained/fertilized/limed/muck spread/etc.

[jefinabox]

Fort Jefferson said:

It's just as much your responsibility to keep them out, as it is his to keep them in.

No, it's really not. I spent much of my younger years making sure our obligation to keep our livestock in our fields was fulfilled.

[Who me ?]

Caractacus said:

He refuses to mend said fence and will not let me fix it, either.

You see the crappy fence allows his sheep to drink from the river. The river is on our property (we own both banks) and sheep then look at the other side and feel the grass really is greener...

Possibly one for the legal eagles,but suggest a fee for provision of drinking facilities for his herd, and possibly RSPCA complaint for not providing drinking facilities for his livestock, so that they have to trespass to obtain water ,not being supplied by farmer .

[Caractacus]

[quote=Who me ?]
Possibly one for the legal eagles,but suggest a fee for provision of drinking facilities for his herd, and possibly RSPCA complaint for not providing drinking facilities for his livestock, so that they have to trespass to obtain water ,not being supplied by farmer .

[/quote]

Oooooo, you're good!

[13th]

A phone call to the local police will get his firearms licence suspended.

Sorted.

[C3BER]

I keep sheep and yes I would shoot dogs that harm them. We also have HLS which makes sure we keep our fences and walls in order to prevent escape as much as possible.

I take it the boundary is his responsibility and not joint?

There are ways of fencing over rocks and rough ground and I would go down that approach. Your lucky you have both banks as a stream/river is usually the boarder.

On a side issue all you dog walkers who think a field is a place for letting your dogs run around like your local park....your wrong! I might have to post up the hassles we have with foolish dog walkers and fido.

[Dusty964]

Hmmmmm.

I dont think that it would go down very well witht the Police if he honestly claimed that he would turn up on your property and shoot your pets?

So thats the first thing to do.

Alternatvely, are you allowed to shoot his sheep for worrying your dogs?

If so, do it cleanly.

(and put me down for a leg please).

[Changedmyname]

Caractacus said:

He refuses to mend said fence and will not let me fix it, either.

You see the crappy fence allows his sheep to drink from the river. The river is on our property (we own both banks) and sheep then look at the other side and feel the grass really is greener...

Drink water you say Mmm.
The sheep/lambs we have here in Wales don't drink from anything ,but rely on the grass for
their water intake.

[paintman]

Caractacus said:

Thanks for the post. The SSSI is ours and is enforced by CCW (Countryside Council for Wales). Sheep are an utter no-go due to the way they graze. We have very rare wild flower meadows that have never been farmed intensivly, nor drained/fertilized/limed/muck spread/etc.

In which case speak to them giving the circumstances & see what - if any - action they can take.