Free-roaming sheep left to suffer, says Forest of Dean group

The Forest of Dean Commoners' Association is a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the tradition of free roaming sheep

A breakdown in communication is leading to injured sheep being left to die, it has been claimed.

The Forest of Dean Commoners' Association said sheep are suffering needlessly because authorities in Gloucestershire are not following the correct procedures.

General secretary, Mick Holder said the group had not been contacted about a badly injured sheep earlier this year.-

Forestry England said it encouraged responsible shepherding.

Mr Holder said the delay in his group being contacted about the injured sheep resulted in it being left for days before being humanely killed.

The running of sheep through the Forest of Dean is a tradition dating back more than 800 years.

Mr Holder said authorities were not following the agreed procedure when hurt or dead sheep were reported and gave an example of an incident earlier this year.

The Forest of Dean runs along the border between England and Wales

"The incident was reported to Trading Standards who advised that Forestry England had been notified and were dealing with it," said Mr Holder.

"Three days later, I received a call from a concerned member of the public detailing the sheep dying on the side of the road. The commoners were not contacted to deal with the issue," he added.

Animal welfare

Forestry England's Kevin Stannard says the group supports the tradition of free roaming sheep and encourages responsible shepherding.

"Reports received by the Forestry England are logged, and passed onto the Commoners Association who may investigate so as to help resolve the issue," he said.

Karen Smith, head of trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said the welfare of animals was important and concerns raised would be investigated, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).