Dog walkers in the Pinewoods have been warned to keep their dogs on leads after a spate of attacks left four sheep dead.

The attacks took place in a field behind RHS Harlow Carr.

The charity Pinewoods Conservation Group, which promotes the maintenance and conservation of the Pinewoods, is to put up temporary signs reminding dog walkers to keep their animals under control.

A spokesperson said:

“We are very disappointed to hear about the killing of four sheep adjacent to the Pinewoods. We would remind all dog walkers to keep their animals under control at all times.

“This does not only protect these sheep, but also our many visitors and varied wildlife. Temporary signage will be erected on the main path from RHS Harlow Carr to Harlow Moor Road to enforce this message.”

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Dogs can kill or injure sheep, even if they don’t catch them, because the stress can cause sheep to die or miscarry lambs.

Sheep fleeing from dogs are often killed or seriously injured by their panicked attempts to escape, causing damage to fences and field boundaries in the process.

Figures from farming organisation the NFU said that the cost of farm animals killed by dogs rose by over 10% last year to an estimated £1.3m.

Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said:

“Dog attacks are easily preventable if owners keep their pets under control and on a lead when livestock may be nearby. Doing so keeps sheep and their lambs safe from harm and stops a country walk turning into carnage.”

Livestock farmers in the district have expressed concerns over the Australian trade deal and its potential to flood the UK market with cheaper, lower quality produce.

On Tuesday Boris Johnson announced that a new trade deal had been struck up between Australia. It will make it easier and cheaper for Australians to export meat to the UK.

Tim Weatherhead, a Ripon farmer and Vice Chair of the Yorkshire Young Farmers, said;

“The main concern is definitely them undercutting us on standards; we have higher standards of rearing, medicine and farming. Things like this don’t always cross the minds of the consumers, they often just go for the cheapest option. But they don’t see what’s going on behind the scenes.”

Australia’s animal welfare laws aren’t as strict as the UK’s. According to the Animal Protection Index, the UK has an animal welfare ranking of B while Australia ranks at D.

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The National Farmers Union published its concerns over welfare practices in Australia which include feeding up to 50,000 cattle at one time and growth hormones which are banned in this country.

Andrew Loftus, a livestock farmer near Masham, shared similar concerns;

“I would be surprised if the government allowed meat containing banned growth hormones to enter the country, but this isn’t the only issue. Meat production standards in the UK are getting tighter and tighter, and there are a whole range of standards which we have which Australia would potentially not be subjected to.

I’m not against free trade deals, in fact I think that competition is good to give consumers a choice – it just has to be fair.”

Boris Johnson assured people that no meat would enter the country containing banned growth hormones.

Other local farmers were concerned about the environmental impact of importing meat from the other side of the world.

Jo and Rob from Blue Coat Farm in Harrogate said:

“Our government’s agenda in this country is for us to farm sustainably, with the environment in mind, so importing meat from the other side of the world would appear to be the polar opposite of this.”

Gov.uk data shows that the Yorkshire and the Humber region is the biggest contributor to the farming industry in the country, and livestock farms account for a third of all its farms.