Real changes need to be made to legislation

AVOIDABLE losses, such as those that occur when a dog chases or attacks livestock, remain a significant source of frustration for the livestock sector in Wales.

Industry initiatives, such as the FUW campaign “Your dog, Your responsibility” which widened the message to respecting the countryside, picking up after your dog, keeping dogs on a lead near livestock and making sure dogs don’t escape from home, have had some impact.

The number of dog attacks on livestock has shown a decline in recent months.

However, whether this trend will continue in the longer term remains to be seen, and localised reports of attacks are still continuing.

There are currently four laws that can be used when examining dog attacks on livestock in Wales and England. However, they are all out-of-date and completely unfit for purpose.

For example, the 1953 Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act was introduced before DNA could be extracted from a sample and it therefore does not give police forces the power to obtain DNA samples from suspect dogs.

Moreover, given that most dog attacks occur in fields with no witnesses, providing police with the power to investigate these crimes is imperative.

It is also true that the current laws do not allow for penalties which fit the seriousness of the crime; nor do they allow for adequate compensation for farmers.

Last year, in Scotland a proposal for an amendment to the 1953 Act – the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2020 – was proposed which would increase the maximum penalty to a fine of £5,000 or imprisonment for six months, give police greater powers to investigate and enforce offences and extend the definition of ‘worrying’ to include chase, attack and kill.

The pandemic has delayed the legislative process.

However, the FUW continues to press for legislative changes, including the mandatory recording of dog attacks on livestock by all police forces, an increase in the current maximum fine of £1,000, full compensation for farmers and the ability for police forces to obtain DNA samples from suspect dogs.

The FUW recognises that there is no one ‘quick fix’ to this issue and that a mixture of education, campaigning and legislative changes are needed.

As part of our work in this area, we will continue to lobby for real changes to be made to current legislation in order to provide a better deterrent to irresponsible dog ownership and to ensure that the penalties fit the seriousness of the crime.