Dog owners face unlimited fines for livestock worrying under new law
10th December 2025
Dog owners in England and Wales will face unlimited fines if their pets attack livestock.
The new Bill, which has just been cleared by the House of Lords, removes the previous £1,000 penalty cap.
Therese Coffey, MP for Suffolk Coastal, introduced the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Bill in 2023.
MPs backed the Bill, allowing it to pass its second reading. The Bill then completed its progress in the Commons. It was introduced into the House of Lords but lost when the government dissolved Parliament for the general election in July.
After the election, the Bill was reintroduced to Parliament by Aphra Brandreth, Conservative MP for Chester South and Eddisbury.
MPs again gave their approval to the Bill, and it passed its second reading and committee stage. The Bill was passed through the House of Lords last week.
READ MORE: Livestock worrying is still an issue, however, numbers are decreasing
Scope extended
MP Coffey said during the third reading of the Bill: “Livestock worrying has devastating consequences for both animals and farmers, and it can be horrific, causing brutal injuries that are tragically often fatal.
“There are instances of stress causing pregnant livestock to miscarry and separation of mothers and their young, leading to hypothermia and starvation.”
She explained that the Bill will modernise the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, ensuring it reflects the needs of modern-day farming.
The MP said that the legislation is set to strengthen police powers so they can do their job more effectively, giving them powers of entry and allowing them to seize and detain dogs and collect evidence.
At the moment, collecting evidence tends to rely on the goodwill of the owners of the suspected dog.
She continued: “Anyone who has driven on country roads will know that farmers move livestock.
“The Bill specifically extends the scope of the provisions so that they do not apply only to a field a farmer may own or where livestock are kept; it recognises that agricultural practices often involve animals being transferred from one field to another.”
Read more rural crime news.
