Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Livestock worrying proposals need to go further, NSA warns
NEW legislation proposed by the Government to crack down on livestock worrying should be strengthened further, sheep industry leaders have said.
Under the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced to Parliament last week, improved powers will enable the police to respond to attacks more effectively – making it easier for them to collect evidence and, in the most serious cases, seize and detain dangerous and out of control dogs.
The new measures will also allow samples to be taken from livestock and dogs suspected of an offence, to help the police investigate these crimes. At present, most cases don’t end up in prosecution due to a lack of evidence.
But while it welcomes the plans, the National Sheep Association (NSA) says police powers to seize dogs should have been further backed up by a “significant increase” in the maximum applicable fine.
Phil Stocker, chief executive of the NSA, said the Kept Animals Bill was an opportunity for the Government to create a “major deterrent” to this “antisocial behaviour”. He added: “Defra and ministers responsible for English legislation are missing a trick in not taking the opportunity to increase fines in line with what the Scottish Parliament has done.”
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021, which received Royal Assent on May 5, includes imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, a fine not exceeding £40,000, or possibly both.
A person who commits a similar offence in England under this new proposed Kept Animals Bill is liable to a summary conviction and a fine not exceeding level three on the standard scale – currently £1,000.
Mr Stocker said that while there are “significant and very welcome improvements” contained in the Bill to support the police and rural crime teams after a livestock worrying offence has occurred, there is “very little” to reduce the overall number of incidents that are increasing yearon-year.
“In fact, the current lack of clarity in defining “under close control” puts farmers and dog owners in a difficult and potentially conflicting position,” he warned.
According to recent statistics from leading rural insurer NFU Mutual, livestock worrying cost the South West region an estimated £185,000 last year. Across the UK, the cost of dog attacks rose by over 10 per cent in 2020 to an estimated £1.3 million. Losses of up to £50,000 were also recorded.
The results from NSA’s own sheep worrying by dogs survey also revealed a concerning increase over the past year, with more than two thirds of farmers saying they had experienced a rise in problems with dogs chasing and attacking their sheep.
Recent reports of out-of-control dogs causing harm to livestock include a Highland cow in Dorset being chased over an embankment leading to its death, and Devizes MP Danny Kruger being fined for his dog chasing deer in London’s Richmond Park.
The NSA, which safeguards the interests and future of sheep farmers throughout the UK, believes these incidents all point to an “urgent need” for simple, straightforward and effective measures to radically reduce the number of cases.
As well as new livestock worrying powers, the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill could also see the UK become the first European country to ban live exports of farmed animals for slaughter or fattening – a move long called for by animal welfare campaigners including the RSPCA.