THE NATIONAL Farmers Union (NFU) is calling for protection for farm livestock against the irresponsible use of drones.

The move follows a story in the Post in November about a drone being flown low over a flock of pregnant ewes in a field at Colemore.

Albert Carter of Slade Farm said the law allows him to shoot a dog that was attacking sheep, but not a drone.

NFU vice president Guy Smith said: “We have already seen the first instances of sheep worrying by drones, and we are calling for government to address this and are hope that any new (drone) legislation will protect farmers and landowners from this behaviour.

“We would stress the importance of not flying drones near livestock, who react in very unpredictable ways. There is risk of causing distress to the animals, sometimes fatal, and can lead to trampling.

“Any drone owner should be responsible with its use and ensure the safety of people, animals and land.”

The NFU plea for the remotely controlled flying machines to be used responsibly comes as the Department for Transport launches a consultation on how to control drone use.

New measures being looked at include mandatory registration of new drones over 250 grams in weight, a theory test for users, increased penalties for their misuse and potential new criminal offences to deter and address the misuse of drones

But farmers can also benefit from the eye in the sky drones, says the NFU.

Mr Smith said: “We welcome this consultation and urge our members to feed us their views, and we will communicate to government the advantages drone use can have for farmers – from gathering data to recording images of their farm.

“There are exciting developments in the pipeline for farm drone use, such as crop applications, which could keep British farming at the cutting edge and internationally competitive.”