Poop scoop rules 'must go rural'

IT HAS become accepted practice in the towns and cities of Scotland for dog owners to clean up the mess left by their pets.

• Dog owners are being urged to clean up their pets' mess in the countryside amid an increase in livestock being diagnosed with neospara, which is spread throught the faeces of infected dogs

But farmers are now calling for "poop-scooping" to be introduced in even the most remote areas of countryside amid claims that dog-related diseases are killing livestock.

Many owners believe that when they are in open countryside, far from populated areas, it is acceptable to leave dog mess on the ground. However, the National Farmers' Union in Scotland has warned that faeces left by dogs near agricultural land is harming cattle and sheep.

The NFUS says there has been an increase in cases of a disease, neospora, which is spread through the faeces of infected dogs and causes cows to miscarry. Another parasite, sarcocystosis, is spread the same way and can cause illness and death in livestock.

The union wants posters to be put up in farmland areas to raise awareness of the problem, as well as a change to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to spell out the risks more clearly. They also want more "poop scoop bins" to be provided by councils in rural areas.

Bob Carruth, communications director at NFU Scotland, said: "We want to encourage people to be more responsible. When they are walking around towns or cities they will as a matter or course use a pooper scooper to clear up their dog mess. We want them to do the same in the countryside."

Research suggests about one in five aborted cattle foetuses are infected with the neospora parasite, with an increase in the problem in recent years. Similarly, sarcocystosis has been killing an increasing number of animals.

Nigel Miller, vice-president of NFU Scotland, and a vet, said: "On those farms where disease problems have been identified, attempts to control these diseases can be hindered by public access and dog-walking activity."

Dogs get infected with the neospora parasite when they eat infected material from cattle, such as placentas from newly calved cows. It is then spread through the faeces from the dog. The parasite survives for several months and can contaminate the pasture and water supplies.

Once cattle have the parasite, they are infected for life and pass it on to any surviving offspring. Similarly, dogs retain the parasite for life, although an owner is unlikely to be aware of the problem due to a lack of visible symptoms.

But Dr Lee Innes, principal scientist at Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh and an expert on neospora, said cattle could also pick up the disease from contaminated feed or water, meaning it was very difficult to know for sure how big a part dog faeces played in spreading the disease.

"We can't say how big a risk this is but we can say there's a potential risk so the precautionary principle would be to pick dog dirt up just like you do in the city."

Scientists at Moredun are urgently trying to develop techniques to be able to identify the sources of the infection.

Ultimately, they hope to develop a vaccine against the disease, for which there is currently no effective treatment.

Eleanor Macdonald, the access campaign manager at Scottish Natural Heritage, said they were working on campaigns with NFU Scotland and the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association to raise awareness of the need to pick up dog waste.

Pet owner's representatives agreed that it is part of the responsibility of dog owners to clear up their mess.

"Unfortunately there will always be some people who spoil it for everyone else by not clearing up after their dogs," said a Kennel Club spokeswoman.

"It can mean local authorities slap on an order to make sure nobody can walk their dogs in that area, and that's a shame for everyone else."