A Bill which will give police greater powers to clamp down on dog attacks on farmed animals has passed in the House of Commons and is one step closer to becoming law.

On Friday 4 July the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill was passed by the House of Commons.

The Bill not only gives police more powers to act - but extends the scope of livestock worrying to better protect alpacas and llamas; and adds roads and paths to the list of locations where an offence can take place - which will make more animals safer and in more places too.

The RSPCA has long-called for improvements to legislation to protect farmed animals from dog attacks and hopes to see the Bill complete its parliamentary journey, as it moves onto the House of Lords.

Every year thousands of sheep are killed by dogs and the National Farmers Union (NFU) estimated that dog attacks cost the industry a whopping £1.8 million across the UK in 2022. An increase in the average number of sheep attacks per farm and the value of insurance claims suggests incidents of livestock worrying continue to increase.

Whilst the vast majority of dog owners take care around livestock, sadly accidents can happen and even the most docile and obedient dogs can get distracted and excited by grazing animals nearby which is why it's so important to keep dogs on a lead around livestock.

Harriet Main, Public Affairs Manager at the RSPCA, said: "We welcome this vital development in Parliament which has seen the Livestock Worrying Bill passed in the House of Commons. It will now go to the House of Lords where we hope it will continue to progress and soon be enshrined in law. This Bill will have the potential to protect thousands of animals and support many farmers throughout the UK who have to pick up the pieces when their livestock are sadly attacked.

"However, we'd also like to see the Bill go even further and expand its scope to include protection for animals such as farmed deer, enclosed gamebirds, ostrich and buffalo, to name a few. We'd also like to see woodland grazing land covered by the Bill which would bring this piece of law in line with the measures within Scottish legislation."

Whilst many dog owners may think there is no harm done if their dog momentarily chases farmed animals and comes back quickly without injuring them, being chased by a dog causes the animal stress and anxiety. This can cause lots of problems for farmed animals - and even lead to pregnancy loss, which is particularly tragic. And severe attacks can have a devastating effect on farmed animals, resulting in injury and even death.

It's important to remember that livestock worrying is also a welfare concern for dogs too. They could become injured during an incident and it is also lawful for farmers to shoot a dog to protect their farmed animals in some situations - which no one wants to happen.

The RSPCA says there is a very simple way to stop any of this happening – for owners to keep their dogs on a lead around farmed animals.

For more information visit: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/walking