A petition has been launched to stop Latitude from dyeing their sheep pink

The suffolk festival has been accused of animal cruelty after posting a clip of the dip-dyed sheep on the opening day of the festival last Thursday (18 July).

The sheep have arrived! pic.twitter.com/wY1oIuX3nB

— Latitude Festival (@LatitudeFest) July 18, 2019

Peta UK and the RSPCA have also criticised the promotional stunt, with Peta UK calling it a "thoughtless, attention-grabbing stunt".

The RSPCA wrote, "We want all animals treated with kindness and respect and would discourage people from painting animals for novelty purposes, and are contacting the festival organisers to express our concerns."

This is sad to see :( We want all animals treated with kindness and respect and would discourage people from painting animals for novelty purposes, and are contacting the festival organisers to express our concerns.

— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) July 20, 2019

A petition has been set up to stop Latitude from dyeing their sheep, which, at the time of writing this article, has gained over 2,800 signatures. The petition states, "Latitude festival has dyed a flock of sheep pink and released them onto the festival grounds. These are sentient beings, not party props. Intelligent and sensitive, these animals are easily frightened and will not appreciate the loud noise and drunken revellers. The sheep should be removed from the grounds immediately and this tradition should not be allowed to continue."

Latitude have since responded to the accusations, writing, "they're dip dyed using natural, water based dye which they are used to as part of their normal farm life for insecticides and parasites like itch-mite, blow-flies, ticks and lice."

Hey, they're dip dyed using natural, water based dye which they are used to as part of their normal farm life for insecticides and parasites like itch-mite, blow-flies, ticks and lice

— Latitude Festival (@LatitudeFest) July 18, 2019

According to The Guardian, East Suffolk council stated they had "no concerns about the sheep this year or in the 14 years that this activity has taken place."

They added, "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."