Farmers welcome tougher laws on livestock attacks

Farmers have welcomed a move to make the laws around dog attacks on livestock much stricter.

Under the new powers, police can seize dogs suspected of chasing, attacking, or worrying livestock and also issue unlimited fines to owners.

Gloucestershire farmer Ian Pullen, welcomed the tougher legislation, calling it "long overdue" and said many people are "ignorant of how livestock can react to a dog".

Sgt Jess Brown, from Gloucestershire Police's rural crime team, said that livestock worrying is a "big issue" in the county.

Pullen, of Bradley Farm in Wotton-under-Edge, said dogs have caught hold of his sheep and "pulled chunks out of them".

"It's the stress and strain- not just for the animals, but for the farmer as well," he said.

Pullen added that "education is lacking".

"I think most folks are completely ignorant of how livestock can react to a dog. You could have the friendliest dog in the world, but the livestock in the field don't know that."

Under the amended Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 2025, a wide range of animals are now classed as livestock, including alpacas and llamas.

The act also now recognises incidents of livestock worrying which take place on roads and footpaths as well as in fields and enclosures.

Penalties for owners of dogs that attack or worry livestock have also gone up from £1,000 to an unlimited fine.

Sgt Brown said Gloucestershire Police receive "quite a few" reports of livestock incidents, particularly during warmer weather.

"We recently had an incident in the Forest of Dean where a dog got into a field, which resulted in the death of two sheep," she said.

Sgt Brown said she hoped the new legislation will help "everybody enjoy the countryside".

"We live in a very rural area, so we have a big rural community to support," she said.

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