Livestock attacks have been steadily on the rise for a number of years, costing UK farmers nearly £2 million in 2025. In response, the Government has progressed amendments to the existing law around livestock “worrying” (the legal term for attacking or distressing livestock) that are intended to make it more straightforward for the police to respond effectively to attacks.
On 18 March 2025, the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 (“the Act”) came into force. There are a number of significant headlines from the Act, and while the penalties and scope inevitably grab the headlines, it is perhaps reform around enforcement of the existing legislation that will have the biggest long-term impact.
Changes to existing law
The Act has introduced the following key amendments to the existing law:
- Previously, the law only applied to attacks on livestock, or animals being chased by dogs, on agricultural land. The Act has now expanded this definition to catch incidents happening on a road or public path, covering incidents where farmers are moving livestock between fields and come into contact with dog owners.
- Following cases of alpacas and llamas kept by private owners being attacked by dogs, the Act has expanded the definition of “livestock” to include “camelids”. This is perhaps a more narrow addition in response to specific cases, but prevents those cases from falling throughthe cracks and ensures victims can have some redress.
- The maximum penalty has increased to an unlimited fine from a maximum of £1,000. This is intended to provide a further deterrent to dog owners who would otherwise take risks, but any penalty would still be means-tested and the average penalty is not likely to substantially increase.
Perhaps of most significance to dog owners are the new powers provided to investigating police forces, and the court, in dealing with cases of this nature. Police forces previously had the power to seize dogs where no owner could be identified, but now also have the power to seize any animal believed to pose an ongoing threat, until either an investigation has concluded or a prosecution is determined. This will greatly improve the ability of police forces to carry out a full investigation and take steps to ensure repeat incidents do not occur while a dog owner is investigated.
Meanwhile, the court now has the power to order any person convicted of an offence and whose dog has been seized to pay the reasonable expenses of the dog’s seizure and detention. This is likely to be significantly more of a deterrent than the potentially small increases to any financial penalties imposed by the court.
Commentary
There has been a steady increase since the Covid-19 pandemic of visitors to the UK countryside, alongside a rise in dog ownership during the pandemic. Many of those visitors may never have been to the countryside and lack awareness of the risks posed to their dogs by livestock and the risks in turn posed to them by cattle in calf.
While most dog owners are responsible, we are seeing a steady increase in examples of irresponsible dog ownership, notably a failure to keep dogs on the lead in the countryside, as well as failures to train out poor behaviours. This can be a potent mix around livestock and where dog owners lose control, landowners and farmers lose valuable livestock to often frenzied attacks.
Any dog owner should ensure that their dog is able to perform well under close control and, where there is an element of doubt, keep their dog on a lead at all times (especially around livestock). Where public footpaths come into contact with livestock, dog owners must be on guard not only for their own safety, but for the livelihood of those whose land they are crossing.
For more information on this specialist topic, please contact Sam Harkness (Associate).