TRESPASSING sheep are causing £250,000 of damage to young trees in the National Forest Estate every year.
Almost 200 stray sheep incidents were recorded on the National Forest Estate in the south of Scotland alone last year, involving 1,500 animals.
These sheep have been linked with the spread of the sheep scab mite and deadly tree diseases, as well as the destruction of young plants, costing tens of thousands of pounds in some areas.
It is hoped new guidance will help Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) staff work closely with farmers to manage stray sheep. A key element highlights the importance of open dialogue.
Robin Waddell, FES’s agriculture advisor, said: “Recent records show there to be a particular problem with stray sheep in the south of Scotland. We recorded about 190 separate incidences involving 1,500 animals in the Borders, Galloway and Dumfries areas.
“We have now introduced a consistent approach to recording incidents across the country so we can get a better idea of impacts across Scotland.
“A particular worry is that unregulated movements of sheep in our forests poses a biosecurity risk, specifically in terms of the scourge that is sheep scab and the transmission of tree diseases.
“Animal welfare is also a concern and this issue is often reported when we have had to deal with unmanaged sheep.”
Stray sheep have been linked to the transmission of the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, which causes the tree disease sudden oak death.
Sheep browsing also causes the destruction of recently planted trees.
MrWaddell said that in the Galloway Forest Park alone, it was estimated £80,000 per year worth of damage was caused to young trees by stray sheep.
He added the national cost was likely to be more than £250,000 per year.
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