Sheep: Dogs

(asked on 1st July 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recorded incidents there were of dogs attacking sheep in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 13th July 2022

The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications.

Defra does not hold data on the on the specific number of recorded incidents of livestock worrying per year, as this data is held by individual police forces.

Defra recently held a series of roundtables with key stakeholders, which indicated that livestock worrying is a significant problem that warrants effective action.

New measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales are to be brought in through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021. The new measures will enhance enforcement mechanisms available to the police and expand the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law which should support robust enforcement, encouraging farmers and livestock keepers to report incidents more often.

In addition to the current legislative measures laid before Parliament, the Countryside Code will continue to be publicised to provide constant messaging to the public and landowners.

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