THOUSANDS of “feral” sheep are causing damage to Scotland’s publicly owned forests according to experts.
The sheep are thought to have escaped from farmers’ flocks and now roam freely.
Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES), which manages the national forest estate on behalf of Scottish ministers, say the rogue sheep cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to young plants as well as helping to spread sheep scab mite as well as deadly tree diseases.
Robin Waddell, FES’s agriculture adviser, said: “In certain forests therethere are now flocks of feral sheep.
“These are effectively sheep with no owners, that have bred from sheep that have escaped in the past.
“As well as the damage they cause, animal welfare is an issue. They tend to be be inbred and not looked after.
“Across the country, these feral sheep are in the thousands.”
Mr Waddell said that, by law, all sheep should be tagged.
Farmers also tend to put paint marks on their animals’ fleeces to help identify them from a distance.
He added: “These feral sheep have no marks on them whatsoever.”
He said sheep straying from managed flocks in to the national forest estate was also a serious problem, costing around £250,000 worth of damage to young trees every year.
Almost 200 “trespassing” sheep incidents were recorded in the south of Scotland alone last year, involving 1,500 animals.
New guidance issued last week aims to help FES staff work closely with farmers to manage their strays.
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