IF THE public finds violent dog attacks on sheep unacceptable, why should they acquiesce to equally bloody sheep predation by a reintroduced population of lynx?

That was the question raised this week by the National Sheep Association, as it sought to highlight the likely consequences of the release of Eurasian lynx to the UK, and in particular, the impact that the large predators would have on farm animal welfare.

The NSA noted that farmers in the UK have a "world class reputation" for the way they care for and rear livestock, with the country being ‘A’ rated in the Animal Protection Index ranking. This good work would be undermined by the organised release of lynx into the countryside, claimed the industry body, with sheep effectively being killed, maimed and stressed with official approval.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker drew the direct comparison with the often horrific effects of sheep worrying by dogs: “We know first-hand of the revulsion the public feels towards dog attacks, but there is an assumption within the plans for a lynx release programme that it is ok for the lynx to kill and maim sheep.

"Attacks by dog cause sheep to miscarry their unborn lambs, to be separated from baby lambs once they are born, and to fail to thrive due to high levels of stress. It would be the same with the lynx.”

Launching its own report setting out the arguments against lynx reintroduction, the NSA invited Swedish sheep farmer Tomas Olsson to speak about his experiences with predators – like many farms in Scandinavia, his flock in southwest Sweden is threatened by wolves and lynx. He described the lynx as being "much more unpredictable" than the wolf, hunting alone and adapting its behaviour over time.

Mr Olsson said: “It’s like a stick of dynamite with a very long fuse. First the roe deer go, then your favourite cat disappears without you realising, and then they start to take sheep. In the beginning you just lose some sheep and you don’t know why, but then you find more and more dead and not even eaten.

"The behaviour of lynx is changing; all over Sweden we see this. I think it is maybe the younger ones that hunt for fun and kill more than they can eat," he said.

“It’s the pressure of living with it – you wake up every morning, go outside and find dead sheep that you have spent so much time improving through your breeding programme and caring for through lambing time – just in order to feed the lynx.”

Farmers in Sweden can apply for funding to fence out wolves, but Mr Olsson claimed that lynx can jump more than seven feet and were stealthy enough to sneak into barns and sheds to take sheep.

Mr Stocker commented: “Poorer animal welfare is just one of many problems lynx would create if they were to be introduced. Decision-makers must consider this, along with other, wider consequences and seriously consider the detail, not just be taken in by the general appeal of having a big cat in our countryside.”