Sheep racing at Newmarket (Picture Getty)

A sheep race has been scrapped at a country festival – after animal rights campaignersdescribed it as ‘cruel’ and reminiscent of ‘the dark ages’.

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Llandovery Sheep Festival in Carmarthenshire was billed as ‘the best woolly fun you’ll have this year’.

But animal rights campaigners took offence at the plans to use live sheep, and set up a petition which got more than 60,000 signatures.

Samantha Francis, 42, of St Ives, Cambridgeshire, who set up the petition, said: ‘Using animals for entertainment sends us back to the dark ages and is inexcusable.


‘Sheep are not playthings here for our amusement at their expense.’



Members of the public will now take part in the run – dubbed the drovers’ derby.

Baa baa (Picture Rex)

John Robins, of Animal Concern Advice Line, said, ‘I am very pleased this race has been cancelled.

‘The natural habitat and natural behaviour of sheep does not include being chased down a main street while being cheered on by a crowd of 5,000 people.’

The festival, set to take place on September 23 and 24, will celebrate all things sheep with wool crafts, sheep dog trials and music.

A spokeswoman for the festival said: ‘In previous years’ sheep races we applied the highest standards of animal welfare and complied with all regulations.

‘But we accept the rights of others to disagree and became aware of calls to cancel the race.’