The photograph was taken by a member of the public, and shared on @FionaJDavies account

A Welsh farmer has used Twitter to share a graphic photograph depicting a dog in the process of attacking livestock.

The farmer wanted to raise awarness over the severe problem many farmers face in the countryside with dogs off their leads.

Fiona Davies, who farms at Llanberis on the foothills of Snowdon in Wales, said sheep worrying has become an increasing problem for farmers in the area.

Fiona's tweet

She said she has seen at least one attack every weekend.







The photograph was taken by a member of the public, and was passed onto Mrs Davies with permission for it to be published on Twitter.

Farmers are anxious

Sheep worrying by dogs is causing around 85% of affected farmers to experience elevated levels of anxiety and stress, a survey conducted by the National Sheep Association (NSA). has revealed.

The questionnaire, taken earlier this year, of 233 sheep farmers across the UK shows just how serious the repercussions of dog attacks on flocks can be, with 85% of respondents listing stress as one of the main impacts on them and their flock.

While the cost and extra time needed to deal with attacks was also highlighted, a worrying trend about the personal impact was revealed – 46% of farmers surveyed listed anxiety about spending time away from their farm.

5% said it had a negative impact on their family/social life, 30% cited depression and 24% went as far as to say they had considered giving up sheep farming.

When asked what the single most damaging impact was, the most frequent answer was living with the anxiety of another attack.