Government response to Animal Sentience Committee's assessment-Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill

The Government has now responded to the Animal Sentience Committee's assessment of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill, examining whether the government has fully considered the welfare of animals as sentient beings in relation to the Bill which has now become law.

The formal response is as below and can be found online here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-animal-sentience-committees-assessment-of-the-dogs-protection-of-livestock-amendment-bill

The Bill amends the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 (“the Act”). The amendments primarily focus on the following key areas:

modernising definitions in, and the scope of, the Act

strengthening police powers to support better enforcement

increasing the penalty for the offence of worrying livestock on agricultural land to an unlimited fine.

We note the Committee’s view that the Bill clearly enhances the welfare of livestock by increased protection measures and that adequate due regard has been given for the welfare of sentient animals in this policy.

We also note the Committee’s concerns about the potential negative impact of the welfare of dogs where they are seized and detained under the Act and the associated recommendations made by the Committee.

It is the Government’s view that addressing livestock worrying and reducing the number of incidents requires a balance to be struck between a range of factors, including the impact of livestock worrying on livestock welfare, the loss of livestock to farmers, the emotional impact of livestock incidents on farmers, dog welfare and the property rights of dog owners.

The Government considers that the new powers which the police will have through this Bill to seize and detain a dog where the police have reasonable grounds to believe there is a risk that a dog could attack or worry livestock are important tools to help address the risk of incidents of livestock attacks or livestock worrying.

The Government recognises potential negative impact on the welfare of dogs that are seized and detained under the Act for extended or frequent periods. Whilst the exercise of these new powers is a matter for the police, the Government would only expect dogs to be kennelled during a court case in exceptional circumstances where there are concerns of the dog attacking or worrying again.

The Government will keep the implementation of the Act under review.

We would like to thank the Committee for its consideration of the Bill.

Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 3 of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022

New law changes come into force: Protection of Livestock

This week The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 comes into force,  it updates the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

• The Act applies to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland already have their own livestock worrying legislation.  
• To better reflect the seriousness of certain incidents, the law now distinguishes more clearly between a dog attacking livestock and a dog worrying livestock. This does not create new offences but helps ensure the law better captures the nature and severity of what has happened.  
• The law expands the definition of livestock currently afforded protection to include camelids (such as llamas and alpacas) that are commonly farmed. 
• The Act extends the locations covered to include roads and paths to cover incidents that may take place when animals are being moved, such as from one field to another. 
• The Act introduces a new defence for dog owners where their dog worries livestock whilst in someone else’s charge without their consent, such as if it had been stolen or taken without permission.
• Police will have new powers under the Act, including powers of seizure and detention, the power to take samples and impressions and powers of entry. 
• The Act introduces new court powers allowing a court to order an offender to pay expenses associated with seizing and detaining a dog.  
• The maximum penalty for an offence will be increased from a fine of up to £1,000 to an “unlimited” fine, to act as a deterrent.

Defra advice to dog owners:

• Follow The Countryside Code when visiting these areas
• Any dog is capable of livestock worrying - always keep dogs under control and in sight
• It is good practice to keep dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept, but let go of the lead if chased by cattle
• Always follow local signs
• Report any incidents of livestock worrying to the police or local farmers
• Ensure dogs cannot escape from homes or gardens near livestock fields

Petition Update-Central Microchip Portal to help reunite missing pets

You can sign and re-post the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/748648 open until 5th June 2026. 

At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Now that the petition has reached over 10,000 signatures, the Government has issued a written response which can be read in full on the petition link.

Defra have stated:

Defra is currently working with the Association of Microchip Database Operators to develop commercial solutions that will provide easier access to microchip records for authorised users.

Since the introduction of compulsory dog microchipping in 2016, the number of compliant database operators has risen from 4 to 24. Whilst the growth in the number of database operators has resulted in more choice for consumers, it has made it harder for approved users such as vets to access records quickly.

To address this, as set out in the Animal welfare strategy for England,

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england)

Defra is working with the Association of Microchip Database Operators (AMDO) to develop improvements to the way the microchipping regime currently operates. AMDO is currently testing industry-led solutions that will enable authorised users to access information contained on the databases digitally through a single point of search.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Amendment Act coming into force

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 has received Royal Assent which makes it law, it will update the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act from 1953.

The new legislation will come into effect on Wednesday 18 March 2026 and applied to England and Wales.

The act: 

• is worded so that attacking livestock is treated separately from worrying livestock. This reframing helps make the violent nature of livestock attacks much clearer. It doesn’t create a new offence as both behaviours are already covered in the 1953 act, but it does make the distinction explicit 

• extends the law to cover livestock worrying and attacks that take place on roads and paths 

• includes camelids (as llamas and alpacas are commonly farmed) 

• introduces a new defence for dog owners to exempt them from liability where the dog was in the charge of another person at the time of the offence without the owner’s consent, for instance if the dog was stolen  

• introduces new powers allowing a court to order an offender to pay expenses associated with seizing and detaining a dog  

• provides a clear deterrent by increasing the penalty from a fine of up to £1,000 to an unlimited fine

In addition, the law gives police new and improved powers to improve their investigations, including: 

• the power to seize and detain a dog where they have reasonable grounds to believe there is a risk that the dog could attack or worry livestock again. The dog can be detained until an investigation has been carried out or, if proceedings are brought for an offence, until those proceedings have been determined or withdrawn 

• the power to take samples and impressions from a dog or livestock where the police have reasonable grounds to believe the dog has attacked or worried the livestock, and that a sample or impression might provide evidence of an offence. The sample or impression could then be used as evidence to support a prosecution 

• the powers to enter and search premises to identify, seize and detain a dog for the prevention of future incidents, to collect samples or impressions, or seize any other evidence

UK Gov Petition-Central Microchip Portal Needed

You can Sign and Share the Petition Here -https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/748648

Introduce a Central Microchip Portal to help reunite missing pets without delay:

In March 2024, the previous Government said it would make scanning, checking & reuniting lost & abducted pets more effective by introducing a central portal for approved users-vets, local authorities & police-to search all records instantly, instead of contacting databases individually.
This has not happened.

There are currently 23 government-compliant databases and cross-checking them is seen by many as an 'administrative burden. 

A central portal could reunite lost & abducted pets with families in minutes. 

The portal could make registrations easier to access, increase scanning & checking rates, and lead to more reunites. 

We believe this is a vital step to make pet microchipping work. We call on the government to deliver the central portal now to make chips count.

Fireworks Parliamentary Debate

The petitions committee scheduled a Westminster Hall debate for Monday 19 January at 4:30pm and MPs have now debated two petitions relating to the sale of fireworks.

You can read a transcript of the debate here:

http://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-01-19/debates/C0AE7A79-B8C1-4E33-8CB7-A9AAD98B62E6/SaleOfFireworks

The debate can be watched online here: 

https://www.youtube.com/live/G1ntVoBByDE

The first petition:

"Reduce the maximum noise level for consumer fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels"

The petition, which has received more than 179,000 signatures, states: "We think each year, individuals suffer because of loud fireworks. We believe horses, dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife can be terrified by noisy fireworks and many people find them intolerable."

Open for Signatures: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/738192

Second Petition:

"Limit the sale of fireworks to those running local council approved events only"

The petition, which has received more than 191,000 signatures, states: "Ban the sale of fireworks to the general public to minimise the harm caused to vulnerable people and animals. Defenceless animals can die from the distress caused by fireworks. I believe that permitting unregulated use of fireworks is an act of wide-scale cruelty to animals."

Open for Signatures: Limit the sale of fireworks to those running local council approved events only - Petitions

Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats & Ferrets) Act

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats & Ferrets) Bill received royal assent on 2nd December and is now law.

The new legislation includes a ban on importing

- dogs and cats who are less than six months old

- animals who are heavily pregnant-dogs and cats more than 42 days pregnant

- those which have been declawed or with their ears cropped or tails docked.

British Veterinary Association President Dr. Rob Williams MRCVS said:  

“Every day, vets in practice see the devastating consequences of puppy smuggling and the loopholes that allow illegal and brutal mutilations like ear cropping and tail docking to continue. After years of tireless campaigning by the British Veterinary Association, the wide-ranging measures in this new legislation will finally stop criminal gangs from abusing pet travel rules for profit as well as tackle rising cases of imported diseases, such as Brucella canis, which are not currently endemic to the UK and which can be passed from pets to people.”  

Dr Danny Chambers, vet and MP for Winchester said:  

“As a vet, I've treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails, leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised. Knowing this Bill will help us put a stop to this abuse and have a bigger impact on animal welfare than I could possibly have achieved in a lifetime treating individual animals, demonstrates how important this legislation will prove to be. Thanks to the support of organisations like the BVA and other animal welfare nonprofits, we got the Animal Welfare Bill through the Commons, through the Lords, and today passed into law." 

The new law can be found online here -https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/30/enacted