This month Shadow DEFRA Minister and Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson championed Conservative MP Aphra Brandreth’s legislation to tackle incidents of livestock worrying that blight farmers and their livestock across the country , during completion of Public Bill Committee Stage in the House of Commons.
In 2024, NFU Mutual estimate that animals valuing a total of £1.8million were victims of livestock worrying and attacks in 2024, and the National Sheep Association's 2025 survey found that 87% of respondents suffered at least one incident in the last 12 months, with 4% of those saying they had experienced between 10-30 incidents.
The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill provides sweeping reforms to the Dogs Protection of Livestock Act 1953 to embolden the ability of police to respond to this concerning prevalence of worrying and attack of livestock.
These new powers would include:
· Permission to investigate and charge worrying and attack of livestock where they take place on roads and paths, such as when animals being herded
· Allowing police to seize dogs suspected of being involved in livestock worrying or attacks
· Provision of warrants for the homes of owners of animals suspected of an offence to support investigations.
· Increased financial penalties for offenders, so unlimited fines for offenders can be set
In addition to these new powers, the Bill expands the 1953 Act to include camelids such as alpacas and llamas as 'livestock' that a crime can be committed against in the legislation, where they are presently not.
Dr Neil Hudson, a long-time campaigner for animal and human victims of livestock worrying, spoke passionately in favour of the Bill, noting the real harm incidents cause for both the physical welfare of animals impacted, who can face harm and even death not just from the attacks, but from the trauma that results, such as the miscarrying of young or stampedes.
He did, however, challenge the Government to recognise a focus on prosecution must be equal to a focus on prevention, particularly through encouraging responsible dog ownership. Evidence from Wales, which Dr Hudson raised in Committee Stage, shows that Blue Cross training course for dog owners contributed to a 64% reduction in the cost of livestock worrying between 2023 to 2024, alongside social media outreach and rural crime teams.
Responsible dog ownership was a key part of the previous Conservative Government’s approach to animal welfare, bringing together the police, stakeholders and animal welfare groups to make recommendations to Government about education and enforcement to improve this, as the Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group. Dr Hudson called on Minister Daniel Zeichner to recognise how crucial responsible dog ownership is to tackle this issue.
Dr Hudson himself has long campaigned to improve responsible dog ownership, working in Parliament alongside animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA, the Dogs Trust and Blue Cross to champion the change empowering dog owners to care for their dogs and protect the animals and people around them. You can see more about Dr Hudson’s previous work on that at the following links:
https://www.neilhudson.org.uk/news/veterinary-mp-dr-neil-hudson-shows-support-responsible-do
After the Committee Stage, Dr Hudson said:
“I was delighted to contribute to the cross-party support for my friend and colleague Aphra Brandreth MP and her crucial Bill to tackle livestock worrying and attacks, and give police the power they need to prosecute this dreadful crime.”
“Livestock worrying and attacks by dogs can be catastrophic for livestock, but also to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the farmers who care for them
However, prevention is better than cure, and the Government must work on prevention and prosecution, and responsible dog ownership must be at the heart of prevention.
This Bill is only the beginning, and I will do all that I can to support it to become law as soon as possible.”
