WITH attacks on sheep, trespassing and livestock escapes on the rise, farmers in West Oxfordshire fear people are losing touch with the countryside.

A farming family near Witney, which has suffered eight dog attacks on livestock over the past seven years, has urged people to be more respectful when venturing out in rural areas.

Recent figures show the cost of dog attacks on livestock reported to rural insurer NFU Mutual rose by nearly 50 per cent across the UK in 2016.

Randal and Helen Strainge, of Ducklington Farm near Witney, were forced to put down a sheep earlier this week after a dog tore a chunk out of its neck over the weekend.

Mr Strainge said there had been a distinct cultural change over the years, with fewer people entering the profession leading to a dilution of basic rural know-how.

He added: “I don’t think people realise what is involved in keeping livestock. Fifty years ago people living in a village would be working on a farm or have family working on a farm – so everybody knew what was going on.”

He continued: “There are hundreds of sheep across the country getting attacked by dogs and having to be put down. It doesn’t seem to be getting better – it’s getting worse.

“You can’t prove who did it and don’t know what happened. It’s just an ongoing loss.”

The problems encountered by the Strainge family are being felt by farmers all over the country, according to NFU Mutual.

Tim Price, rural affairs specialist at the insurer, estimated that dog attacks and sheep worrying cost the industry £1.4m last year.

Mrs Strainge, who had to deal with hundreds of sheep escaping through a gate which was left open early last week, said: “People have become so urbanised they don’t realise we’re still in the country – and they forget farmers have livestock.

“The population of dog owners is growing along with a lack of rural awareness. People can see a field of grass and just think nothing of it. There’s no real respect and awareness of the fact this is somebody’s property and somebody’s livelihood.”

But it isn’t just dogs attacking sheep that is causing issues. Another problem is pets fowling on land where livestock is kept, which can then be ingested by the animals and cause medical problems.

Another challenge faced by farmers is members of the public failing to close gates behind them.

Fellow farmer Tim Hook, of Cote Lodge Farm in Bampton, suggested a rise in people straying on to private land.

He said: “There does seem to be a massive swing. It used to be that it was a workplace for farmers. Now everyone thinks they’ve got the right to be wherever they like.

“There does seem to be a massive swing. It used to be that it was a workplace for farmers. Now everyone thinks they’ve got the right to be wherever they like.

“How would they feel if I took my cow on a walk through their back garden?

“It’s definitely an educational thing.”

The NFU urges people to ‘follow the countryside code’.