Organisers Of Latitude Festival Have Dip Dyed A Herd Of Sheep Bright Pink

Latitude Festival has been slammed by critics after sharing a baaar-baric video of a herd of sheep that had been dip dyed bright pink.

Organisers of the popular Suffolk event posted the short clip to their official Twitter account, showing about a dozen sheep wandering across a field at the festival.

It was shared with the caption: "The sheep have arrived."

But ewe can bet it didn't go down well, with hundreds piling into the comments to condemn the controversial stunt.

One shocked follower said: "Seriously? Animals are not playthings...why the hell have they been dyed all over and what the hell are they doing at a festival? Have some respect for living things!!!"

A second person put: "Is there a reason you have to do this to an innocent animal for kicks?!?! Does it really increase people's enjoyment of your festival?! Awful."

"The disconnection and lack of empathy for these sentient beings is astounding, its not enough that they are at a festival anyway, you dye them pink!! You ought to be ashamed #AnimalCruelty," wrote a third.

While another added: "Feels a bit icky to me. Circuses can't force animals to perform for our amusement anymore, so why should you be different? Is it remotely a good environment for them; surrounded by thousands of s***faced revellers and loud music everywhere?"

One person even called for an end to the festival, writing: "Absolutely disgusting and cruel.... Animals are not there for our entertainment ...CANCEL THIS AND YOUR FESTIVAL."

After being tagged in the thread, a spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "This is very sad to see. We're a charity with no more powers than any member of public, and unfortunately this is not illegal. We want all animals treated with kindness and respect and would discourage people from painting animals for novelty purposes."

Reacting to the outrage, a spokesperson for Latitude Festival defended their actions, writing: "Hey, they're dip dyed using water-based dye which they are used to as part of their normal farming life for insecticides and parasites like itch-mite, blow flies, ticks and lice."

However, not everyone was convinced, with one critic writing: "I beg to differ. From a farming background we don't dye our sheep pink. You are missing the point totally. Have a think."

PETA UK have since posted their own statement about the video. The charity shared the clip, with the caption: "In 2019, only ignorant or cruel people still use animals as living toys, props, and photo ops. We've learned enough about animals to know to respect and admire them for their ability to live in a world we're fast destroying."

A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council offered a comment on behalf of Latitude.

It reads: "In our animal welfare capacity, East Suffolk Council has no concerns about the sheep this year or in the 14 years that this activity has taken place. We are entirely happy that the water-based dye is completely safe and that the festival organisers have taken all appropriate steps to ensure the animals are content, safe and well-looked after.

"As part of our wide-ranging licensing and environmental health responsibilities, the Council takes the welfare of all animals very seriously and if we had encountered any issues or felt that the sheep were suffering distress of any kind we would not permit such an activity."

Topics: UK News, Music, Interesting, UK Entertainment, Twitter, Animals

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom