Dog attacks on farm animals sit at £1.95m in North East

Dog attacks on farm animals cost an estimated £1.95 million across the UK in 2025, with the North East seeing a 37 per cent rise in reported losses compared to 2024.

The renewed warnings follow the passage of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act earlier this year.

Hannah Binns, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “It is crucial dog owners act responsibly by keeping their pets on leads wherever livestock may be nearby to prevent these needless attacks.

“If there is an incident, we urge those involved to do the right thing by informing a local farmer and reporting it to the police, so that any injured animals are not left suffering in pain.”

She said: “As the lambing season gets underway, a time when pregnant ewes and newborn lambs are vulnerable, it is deeply concerning to see the estimated cost of livestock worrying rise to nearly £2 million in 2025.

“As a sheep farmer’s daughter, I know first-hand the hard work, long hours and emotional investment that goes into the lambing season.

“For farmers and their families, witnessing these horrific incidents or finding injured or dead livestock after an attack can be utterly heartbreaking.”

The damage goes beyond physical injuries.

Ms Binns said: “Even without physical contact, the stress of being chased can lead to exhaustion and stress, and in some cases separate young lambs from their mothers, which can lead to them being orphaned.”

A survey by NFU Mutual of 1,407 dog owners found that 57 per cent admit to letting their dogs off the lead in the countryside.

One in 10 said their dog has no recall, while 44 per cent said their dogs return only ‘some’ or ‘most of the time.’

One in 20 confessed their dogs had chased livestock, yet almost two-thirds do not believe their pets are capable of harming or killing animals.

A recent attack on a Yorkshire Dales farm resulted in the death of 17 lambs.

Farmer Will Shuttleworth said: “I’ve never seen anything like it.

“I just couldn’t believe it as I kept finding more and more dead and injured lambs.

“It was a horrible job loading up the dead lambs into the quad trailer.

“Then we had to take the injured sheep back to the farm to look after them, isolated from the rest of the flock.”

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act gives police increased powers to investigate and prevent such attacks.

NFU Mutual is advising the public to keep dogs on leads in areas where livestock may be present and to never allow dogs to roam unsupervised in gardens near livestock fields.

Owners are also urged to report any attacks to farmers and police.