The Bill has moved through the House of Commons and is due a second reading in the House of Lords on 5th September 2025
Full details of the Bill can be found here - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3821
Explanatory Notes have been provided by the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA):
The Bill addresses the serious issue of livestock worrying
in England and Wales.
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 deals with dogs
that chase or attack livestock in England, Wales, and Scotland (known as
livestock worrying).
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill includes provisions to deliver a number of amendments to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 ("the 1953 Act") to improve enforcement in response to incidents of livestock worrying by dogs.
The Bill does so by extending the powers available to the police to obtain evidence of an offence under section 1 of the 1953 Act.
The Bill extends the offence in section 1 of the 1953 Act to include roads and paths and expands the scope of livestock currently afforded protection to include camelids.
It also increases the
maximum penalty in relation to the offence in section 1 of the 1953 Act from a
fine of £1,000 to an unlimited fine.
