Dog mess warning after Blackfield herd tests positive for neospora

People have been urged to keep picking up after their pets after another commoner’s herd of cattle was hit by a bovine illness which can be spread via dog faeces.

Reginald Chester-Sterne, from Blackfield, has spent the last seven years working to establish a small herd of English longhorn cattle which he turns out at nearby Blackwell Common.

After only three of his nine pregnant longhorns produced calves this summer, he undertook testing which confirmed four of the herd had contacted neospora – they must now be culled.

The parasite is able to survive in soil for weeks and can be spread via dog and fox faeces, potentially causing cows to abort and affecting future pregnancies.

As reported in the A&T, concerns over neospora was first raised in 2021 by another commoner, Tom Gould from Bransgore, whose herd lost 18 unborn calves after grazing in the popular walking areas of Wilverley and Longslade.

Last month, however, small-scale research by the University of Surrey commissioned by the verderers, and part-funded by the New Forest Dog Owners Group (NFDOG) and Forestry England, showed no evidence of neospora in 200 samples taken at sites around the Forest.

In response, NFDOG chair Heather Gould said that “the fear of neospora is now effectively lifted” but Official Verderer Lord Manners warned it “continues to be a threat”.

After Mr Chester-Sterne’s herd was also affected by the disease, he has spoken out to urge dog walkers not to drop their guard but to keep picking up after their pets on the Forest.

He told the A&T: “The four longhorns that tested positive will have to be culled to protect the rest of the herd and other New Forest cattle.

“Sadly, once they have the disease they are good for nothing; you cannot breed with them – any calves that did survive would also be carrying the disease.”

Mr Chester-Sterne, who owns Norris and Son feed merchants at Beaulieu, said his animals were tested as free of neospora in 2019.

But when they were re-tested in October 2022, four had contracted it.

He said: “They definitely picked it up on the New Forest because dogs don’t have any access to my private fields where they are grazed during the winter.

“I have nothing against dog walkers whatsoever, but I would just urge everyone to pick up after their pets to prevent the disease spreading further.”