A new bill to help tackle livestock worrying by giving police more powers - and extending the places and scope of animals protected - has finally become law.

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill passed its final stage in Parliament today (5 December) and will now go to Royal Assent before becoming law - a vital milestone which will have a real impact for thousands of animals and farmers in the UK.

Not only will the new Bill give police more powers to act - but it extends the scope of the legislation to better protect alpacas and llamas and adds roads and paths to the list of locations where a livestock worrying offence can take place.

Welcoming this long-awaited change in legislation, the RSPCA says this will "make more animals safer, and in more places".

The animal welfare charity has long-called for improvements to legislation to protect farmed animals from dog attacks and is thrilled to see the law complete its parliamentary journey.

Holly Gower, RSPCA farm animal welfare expert for cattle, sheep and goats, said: "Many dog owners think there is no harm done if their dog momentarily chases farmed animals and comes back quickly without injuring them, but 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 more severe attacks can have a devastating effect on farmed animals, resulting in injury and even death. 

"This also has an adverse impact on the farmers themselves, both in terms of their livelihood and the emotional toll of seeing their animals suffer. That's why we've been calling for better laws to protect farm animals from livestock worrying for so long."

Every year thousands of sheep are killed by dogs and the National Farmers Union (NFU) estimates that dog incidents cost the industry nearly £1.8 million across the UK last year - the level of sheep deaths and the value of insurance claims paints a concerning picture. 

NFU Mutual's latest survey of over 1,000 dog owners found that only two-fifths could always recall their dog - yet only 43% believed their dog was capable of causing the death or injury of farm animals.

Whilst the vast majority of dog owners take care around livestock, sadly accidents can happen and even the most seemingly docile and obedient dogs can get distracted and excited by grazing animals nearby.

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.

Last year a law was proposed to increase police powers to protect farmed animals from being chased and attacked by dogs - but this did not have enough time to progress through Parliament before the UK General Election. But the RSPCA was pleased to see this back on the agenda - proposed by Conservative MP Aphra Brandreth as a Private Members' Bill and supported by the current UK Government - and has now finally completed its Parliamentary journey.

Harriet Main, Public Affairs Manager at the RSPCA, added: "We are really pleased to see the amendment to this legislation finally become enshrined in law.

"This will give police increased powers to investigate suspected incidents and will make vital changes to what constitutes an offence. It will also extend the species covered to include alpacas and llamas and broaden the locations covered by the law to roads and paths - making more animals safer, and in more places. 

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

"But clearly this law is a massive step forward, and  we are pleased that positive steps are being taken that will help keep livestock and dogs safe - ultimately, the best way to protect both dogs and livestock is for owners to keep their dogs on the lead."

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