[Cosmore]

Mink = shoot it.
Otter = deter - stronger fencing, electric fencing. If all reasonable steps proved to fail with continued loss of livestock, apply for permission to humanely trap and release elsewhere (not likely to be granted) or a specified variation to the general licence to shoot (also not likely to be granted).

[waterbuffalofarmer]

The situation is purely theory.  And if an otter/ mink came to live In the vicinity of where you lived and no otter/ mink had ever lived in that vicinity then what?

[verdifish]

The situation is purely theory.  And if an otter/ mink came to live In the vicinity of where you lived and no otter/ mink had ever lived in that vicinity then what?

Mink are an invasive species so i don't give a jot about them .
But theoretically how would you know if otters had never lived in the area

[waterbuffalofarmer]

The situation is purely theory.  And if an otter/ mink came to live In the vicinity of where you lived and no otter/ mink had ever lived in that vicinity then what?

Mink are an invasive species so i don't give a jot about them .
But theoretically how would you know if otters had never lived in the area

Exactly. If you had known they hadn't lived there for say the past 50 or so years and there is particuarlarly enough food and they start to kill the animals and nothing would keep them out of the pen, then i suppose you could shoot it, or trap it and put it elsewhere. The problem with moving it somewhere else is that ot might easily find its way back.

[pharnorth]

Lucky sheep can't use guns then or by the same logic they should kill those pesky humans that keep picking off their young and making lamb chops.

Yup we need to find ways of keeping our livestock safe but killing rare animals in order to protect not so rare livestock isn't the only or best answer.