Tougher powers to deal with livestock worrying have taken a big step ahead at the moment (2 February) with the announcement of presidency backing for brand spanking new laws.
Livestock worrying – when dogs chase, attack, or trigger misery to livestock – may end up in important harm and struggling and within the worst instances, the dying of the animals concerned. These incidents are additionally distressing for livestock keepers and may have important monetary prices.
Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill – a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Thérèse Coffey MP – the police might be given higher powers to reply to livestock worrying incidents extra successfully – making it simpler for them to gather proof and, in essentially the most severe instances, seize and detain dogs to scale back the danger of additional assaults.
Since the unique 1953 Act was introduced in, the variety of livestock in England and Wales has doubled with extra folks visiting the countryside.
By supporting the Bill, the Government is delivering on pledges made in its Action Plan for Animal Welfare and recognising the monetary and emotional impacts farmers face because of canine assaults on livestock.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer stated:
“Livestock worrying has a devastating influence, inflicting misery to farmers and their animals, in addition to the monetary 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 stated:
“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 present laws to make sure it stays match for function, together with extending the livestock definition to incorporate alpacas and llamas and widening places the place enforcement might be taken to roads and paths.
The Bill will even tackle present enforcement challenges and provides the police extra powers to grab dogs after severe incidents and higher powers of entry, in addition to the ability to take proof samples from livestock and dogs assist examine these crimes.
Support for this Bill builds on the Government’s efforts to reinforce our world-leading requirements of animal welfare. The UK was the primary nation on the planet to introduce animal cruelty offences and is the best ranked G7 nation in accordance with World Animal Protection’s Index. Our flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare dedicated us to going even additional to guard animals.
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill – which is simply attainable now we now have left the European Union – will put an finish to the export of stay animals for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping animals enduring pointless stress, exhaustion and harm on lengthy journeys.
The not too long ago launched Pet Abduction Bill – which has authorities assist – will create a brand new particular offence to deal with canine and cat abduction.
Since publishing the Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we now have additionally introduced in new legal guidelines to recognise animal sentience, launched harder penalties for animal cruelty offences; prolonged the ivory ban to cowl different ivory bearing species; launched laws to ban the holding of primates as pets and supported laws to ban glue traps, the import of indifferent shark fins and measures to ban the promoting and providing on the market of low welfare actions overseas.
