Campaigners want a Government crackdown on dogs terrorising livestock on Dartmoor amid rising incidents of “sheep-worrying”.
The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society says it is “deeply concerned” to have recorded 76 attacks last year in evidence to a Commons inquiry into tackling irresponsible dog ownership.
The organisation calls for Dartmoor National Park Authority to enforce existing laws more robustly, an end to confusion over attacks on grazed common land, the power to impose dog-destruction orders and on-the-spot fines.
In the written evidence, the group states: “Sheep-worrying is a serious problem on Dartmoor. We are deeply concerned about the apparently rising number of sheep-worrying cases, particularly on common land which is used by the public for recreation and exercising dogs.
“During 2011, 76 sheep-worrying cases were reported to our Dartmoor Livestock Protection Officer and officially logged – that is more than one a week…