Tim Bonner: Action on dogs killing livestock

The Kept Animals Bill was derailed earlier in the year by MPs who were determined to turn it into an animal rights charter. Amendments attacking hunting and shooting halted its progress and eventually the Government announced earlier this year that it would pull the Bill. The Minister, Mark Spencer, did however, commit to take forward the important proposals to improve animal welfare contained in the legislation through individual legislation. The Alliance was keen that moves to tackle puppy smuggling and sheep worrying in particular were progressed as quickly as possible.

The measures on puppy import and smuggling have been adopted by North Devon MP, Selaine Saxby, who drew fourth spot in the recent Private Members’ Bill ballot. With no reasonable opposition to the proposals and support from a range of organisations, including the Alliance, her Bill is very likely to become law.

We were concerned that there has been no announcement on proposals to tackle the worrying of sheep and other livestock. Worrying is a devastating and increasing problem across the countryside, fuelled by wider dog ownership often exacerbated by a lack of experience and the purchase of unsuitable breeds. It is also a very challenging problem to address. We can all repeat the mantra of keeping dogs under control and on leads around livestock, but research has shown that the majority of dog attacks on livestock are carried out by unaccompanied dogs which have either escaped or been allowed to run wild. One solution, which is increasingly seen in the countryside, is secure dog fields where people can let dogs run free when they are not confident about controlling them. This does not, however, deal with attacks by unaccompanied dogs. The experience of farmers going to check their livestock and finding a field full of dozens of dead and dying sheep is unimaginable, and only made worse if the culprits cannot be identified and dealt with.

There is no simple solution to this problem, but the proposals in the Kept Animals Bill would have given greater powers to the police to seize dogs involved in worrying, enter properties to collect evidence and take samples to connect dogs to livestock worrying incidents.

The Alliance has been urging the government to bring forward these proposals in another form as soon as possible and we were very pleased to hear that former Defra Secretary, Therese Coffey, presented the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill to parliament on Monday (11th December 2023). The Bill has the full backing of the Government. It should be completely uncontroversial and get the support of all parties. The only thing that could stop it becoming law is if the same MPs who tried to turn the Kept Animals Bill into a fight over hunting and shooting adopt a similar approach. We know from long experience that the animal rights movement has limited interest in animal welfare, but blocking legislation designed to stop sheep being torn apart by dogs just to pursue their narrow political agenda would mark a new low. Hopefully the Bill will pass without controversy, but if there are attempts to sabotage it we will be clear about who is responsible for perpetuating animal suffering.