LANDOWNERS and farmers fear that a rigid enforcement of a dog fouling act could pose an even greater risk to public health.

If local authorities rigidly apply the 1996 Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act, which now relates to all publicly-owned land, they fear it could push canine owners to let their pets foul farmland.

Mr Jolyon Dodgson, North West regional secretary for the Country Landowners Association, said: "Our worry for our members is that this could drive pet owners to take their animals elsewhere - mainly to farmland."

He added: "Agricultural land is used for food production , either directly through the growing of crops or indirectly through meal and milk production.

"Food production and dog fouling are incompatible and although the Act is aimed at protecting human health, pushing the problem of dog fouling onto agricultural land could have exactly the opposite effect.

"This is going to be an increasingly important issue as the debate about more public access to the countryside develops."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.