Farm plea as 30 sheep die in suspected dog attack

Thirty sheep have died following a suspected dog attack on a family farm in West Yorkshire.

The incident happened on Field Head Farm in Holme Moss, south of Huddersfield, between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Some of the sheep are thought to have been mauled to death, while others died from stress after being chased, according to James Brown, who works on the farm.

He asked for any witnesses to come forward with information and appealed to dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead.

Brown said he was "in shock" after finding the sheep's corpses on Wednesday.

He added that 28 animals, about 10% of the farm's livestock, initially lost their lives, while another two died later.

"It's the trauma of losing them, especially when they've been kept for such a long time and they were going to remain on the farm," Brown said. "They were not meat animals."

"From what we've pieced together it would appear to be a dog attack. It's the fifth we've had this year.

"This is the most severe one we've had, but it's not the first."

Robert Nobles, from the National Farmers Union, said dog attacks on livestock were "quite a problem".

He added: "Sheep are very sensitive animals and they don't stand a lot of stress.

"It's a stark reminder to people to be careful in the countryside.

"We want them to come out and bring their dogs with them, but they've got to be responsible. Where there's livestock, keep dogs on a lead and there's no risk of this happening."

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