Stronger police powers on livestock worrying become law

Changes to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act have strengthened the law around dogs that attack or chase farm animals — an issue that costs the lives of sheep, lambs and, on occasion, horses every year, and that causes enormous distress to the animals and their keepers.

The amendment gives police greater powers to investigate incidents of livestock worrying, including the ability to look into incidents that took place before the change came in, and it raises the penalties available to the courts. For anyone who keeps working dogs, or walks a dog anywhere near grazing livestock, the practical message is unchanged but worth repeating: keep dogs on a lead around farm animals, and never assume a dog that "wouldn't hurt a thing" will behave differently in the presence of sheep.

We are signposting the reporting because it is a genuine, welfare-positive change in the law — and because responsible ownership around livestock is squarely part of the welfare conversation GenoVaq exists to support.