Cornish farmers devastated by £120 sheep worrying fine

A Cornish farming family have been left devastated after a court imposed a £120 fine on a dog owner following an attack on their flock.

Three dogs chased sheep belonging to a 23-year-old farmer for several hours during the incident, killing 31 ram lambs.

A further seven animals were left so badly injured that they later had to be destroyed.

New regulations increasing penalties for sheep worrying in England and Wales were just weeks away from becoming law at the time of the incident.

See also: New livestock-worrying laws coming into force

Ross Stone, of Coopeage Farm, Trewoon, St Austell, changed a plea from not guilty to guilty and was fined £120 for allowing dogs to worry livestock.

The court also ordered £400 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service, a £100 fine for a further offence, and a £48 surcharge, bringing the total to £668.

Letter sent to court

Sally, the farmer’s mother, was shocked by the penalty and wrote to the magistrates’ court asking how the fine had been decided and whether compensation had been considered.

In her letter, she wrote: “Are you able to let me know how the decision was made regarding such a low fine – did the judge/magistrate know that 31 sheep were killed and a further 7 maimed and later destroyed.

“These animals were chased by [Mr] Stone’s dogs until their hearts exploded over a 12-hour period.”

She added that the attack caused both financial and emotional damage to the family.

“Not only have we suffered a quite considerable financial loss, but the emotional trauma of having to witness the mass slaughter of animals I have cared for is a lot to process, and I struggled for a considerable time afterwards,” she wrote.

The family estimated the loss at about £6,500 after discovering their insurance did not cover sheep worrying.

Sally said: “My son had it in his head he wanted to be a farmer, and he’s very self-made, for him to lose all that money is just awful, and go through the emotional turmoil of the attack.”

She described the aftermath of the incident: “It was awful; there were bodies everywhere. The vet couldn’t quite believe what had happened.”

New laws come too late

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 takes effect on 18 March 2026 in England and Wales, just over a week after the case was heard.

The law updates legislation largely unchanged since 1953 and allows courts to impose unlimited fines on owners whose dogs worry livestock, replacing the previous £1,000 cap.

Police will also have clearer powers to seize and detain dogs suspected of involvement in an incident.