Cumbria farmer cautions dog owners after 28 lambs passed away

A sheep farmer who discovered lots of lambs “drowned and suffocated” after a presumed dog attack has actually advised owners to keep their animals on a lead.

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

Attacks on animals, or sheep distressing, have actually increased by 65% in the area in the previous year, according to insurance provider NFU Mutual.

The lambs had actually “attempted to leave” however wound up in a stream, Ms Robinson said.

“[They] attempted to enter into the next field, and after that were all accumulated here, drowned and suffocated.

“It was rather disturbing at the time – me and my boy were shouting and screaming and weeping at each other.”

Ms Robinson, who has about 400 lambs and makes her own sheep milk cheese, said the monetary effect had actually been massive.

“Each sheep would produce about 500 and 1,000 pints a year, for cheese worth for the 28 lambs that would correspond to £40,000.

“I can just presume they were gone after by something as they need to have been gone after to wind up in a stack. It was more than likely a dog.”

Another farmer in the town, Trevor Wilson, said his flock was impacted by an event of sheep stressing on Thursday.

“We’ve had one [lamb] aborted, one [ewe] was knocked out versus a wall, it’s in fact come round however I would believe the possibilities of it having live lambs is extremely little,” he said.

“We’re simply asking individuals to make sure when in the countryside, keep dogs on a lead.”

NFU Mutual said animals attacks were now costing farmers in the North West £180,000 annually.

Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs expert at the insurance providers, said that even little dogs can trigger “tension and fatigue”.

She said this can trigger them to pass away and trigger pregnant ewe’s to “miscarry their lambs”.