A dramatic poster campaign to prevent dog fouling on farms is to be rolled out across the country.
The poster, which was developed by NFU Scotland in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, was trialled on four farms over a six-week period between September and October last year. It reads: Thoughtless dog owners – we’re watching you. By not picking up after your dog you could cause miscarriage in livestock.
Its presence was found to reduce dog-fouling incidents by 52.1% across the four sites – two were in the Pentlands, one was in Dumbarton and the other was in Motherwell. NFU Scotland said it now plans to roll the campaign out across the country.
Farms carrying the posters will be monitored to gather evidence to support the union’s efforts to have agricultural land incorporated into the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.
The legislation makes it an offence for a person responsible for a dog to leave the dog dirt in a public open space, however this excludes agricultural land – an exemption NFU Scotland is trying to change.
The union’s vice president, Andrew McCornick, said: “The exemption of agricultural land from the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 may gave dog owners the impression that it is OK to allow your dog to do its business on agricultural land but in reality this is unacceptable. It undermines Scottish farmers’ efforts to produce quality food and keep their livestock healthy.”
Dog faeces is found to spread neosporosis, which causes miscarriage in cattle, and sarcocystosis which can cause neurological disease and death in sheep. “We need effective education across the board in order to illicit a change in behaviour and a change in the legislation is necessary to make the message clear that it is not OK to allow your dog to foul on agricultural land.”
He urged farmers encountering problems with fouling on their land to get in touch with the union’s animal health and welfare policy manager, Penny Johnston. She can be contacted on 0131 472 4021 or by e-mail at penny.johnston@nfus.org.uk.