A 71-year-old man has been charged after failing to manage his livestock which had been affecting a main route.
The action was taken after Police Scotland received “numerous” complaints from members of the public over the “continual presence” of sheep and cattle on a section of the A9 truck road at Cambusavie, north of Dornoch.
Police Scotland visited the man’s farm near Dornoch on Tuesday (June 2nd) along with partner agencies including BEAR Scotland, the Animal and Health Plant Agency and the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division.
‘Real road safety risk’
PC Martin Macrae of the Road Policing Unit in Dingwall said, “Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe on the country’s roads.”
“The presence of livestock running loose on a main route presents a real road safety risk to drivers and our more vulnerable road users, such as motorcyclists, where the consequences could be devastating.
“Previous efforts to resolve this matter have failed to prevent the situation from continuing and we have worked closely with our partner agencies and the farmer will now be the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.”
Public and animals ‘at risk’
Vivienne Mackinnon, Animal and Plant Health Agency Veterinary Lead North Scotland, said: “Anyone who keeps livestock has a duty to protect the welfare of the animals in their care, including from potential injuries caused by road traffic accidents.”
“In this case, not only were the animals at risk, but also the public. We urge farmers, landowners and livestock keepers to ensure that their animals are kept safely away from busy roads.”
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative, said: “Trunk road safety is of paramount importance and we’re supporting Police Scotland and other key stakeholders to help address the issue of livestock reaching the A9 near Cambusavie Bends.”
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