New measures aim to reduce dog attacks on livestock
Greater police powers to help secure successful prosecutions that
recognise impacts on farmers
Progresses an Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge
Tougher powers to tackle
livestock worrying have taken a significant step forward today (2
February) with the announcement of government backing for new
legislation.
Livestock worrying - when dogs
chase, attack, or cause distress to livestock - can result in
significant injury and suffering and in the worst cases, the
death of the animals involved. These incidents are also
distressing for livestock keepers and can have significant
financial costs.
Under the Dogs (Protection of
Livestock) (Amendment) Bill – a Private Members’ Bill sponsored
by Dr Thérèse Coffey MP - the police will be given greater powers
to respond to livestock worrying incidents more effectively -
making it easier for them to collect evidence and, in the most
serious cases, seize and detain dogs to reduce the risk of
further attacks.
Since the original 1953 Act was
brought in, the number of livestock in England and Wales has
doubled with more people visiting the countryside.
By supporting the Bill, the
Government is delivering on pledges made in its Action Plan for
Animal Welfare and recognising the financial and emotional
impacts farmers face as a result of dog attacks on
livestock.
Farming Minister said:
“Livestock worrying has a
devastating impact, causing distress to farmers and their
animals, as well as the financial implications.
“This Bill will crack down on
this issue, widening the scope to protect more farm animals
covered by law and giving police more powers to act. We will do
all we can to support its swift passage through
Parliament.”
Dr Thérèse Coffey MP
said:
“We have heard from the police
that they need more up to date powers to help them identify the
dogs that are attacking and worrying livestock, and subsequently
their owners. It is great to get out and enjoy nature, but dog
owners should be careful and ideally put their dogs on a lead
when on or near a working farm to avoid such attacks.”
The Bill would modernise
existing legislation to ensure it remains fit for purpose,
including extending the livestock definition to include alpacas
and llamas and widening locations where enforcement can be taken
to roads and paths.
The Bill will also address
current enforcement challenges and give the police more powers to
seize dogs after serious incidents and greater powers of entry,
as well as the power to take evidence samples from livestock and
dogs help investigate these crimes.
Support for this Bill builds on
the Government’s efforts to enhance our world-leading standards
of animal welfare. The UK was the
first country in the world to introduce animal cruelty offences
and is the highest ranked G7 nation according to World Animal
Protection’s Index. Our flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare
committed us to going even further to protect
animals.
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports)
Bill – which is only possible now we have left the
European Union – will put an end to the export of live animals
for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping animals
enduring unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury on long
journeys.
The recently
introduced Pet Abduction Bill – which
has government support - will create
a new specific offence to tackle dog and cat
abduction.
Since
publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have
also brought in new laws to recognise animal sentience,
introduced tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences;
extended the ivory ban to cover other ivory bearing species;
introduced legislation to ban the keeping of primates as pets and
supported legislation to ban glue traps, the import of detached
shark fins and measures to ban the advertising and offering for
sale of low welfare activities abroad.
