New Livestock Protection Law Is Now in Force in England and Wales

In force from 18 March 2026 · Published April 2026

Correction — 15 April 2026

This piece originally stated that the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 replaces the 1953 Act. The correct position is that it amends the 1953 Act, which remains in force as amended. The references section also contained an incorrect Act citation number, which has been updated to 2025/32. Both errors have been corrected in the text below.

A law that had not been updated since 1953 came into force in England and Wales on 18 March 2026. The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 amends the original Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 with stronger penalties, expanded police powers and broader definitions of what constitutes an offence. The changes are relevant to every dog owner who walks near agricultural land.

The most significant change is the removal of the fixed maximum fine. Where the previous law capped penalties at £1,000, courts may now impose unlimited fines on anyone whose dog worries or attacks livestock.

Police have also been granted materially new powers. Officers can now seize and detain a dog where they have reasonable grounds to believe it poses an ongoing risk to livestock. They can enter premises with a warrant to secure evidence or collect DNA samples from both livestock injuries and the dog involved. Courts can additionally order an offender to pay the expenses associated with seizing and detaining the animal.

The legislation also extends protection to camelids. Alpacas and llamas, which were not covered by the 1953 Act, are now included alongside sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, goats and poultry. The amended law also extends the offence to incidents on roads and paths when livestock are being moved, a detail not present in the original 1953 Act.

Under the new framework:

The maximum fine has increased from £1,000 to an unlimited fine. Police can seize and detain a dog believed to pose a continuing risk. Officers can enter premises with a warrant to gather evidence. DNA sampling of both the dog and any injured livestock is now permitted. Courts can order offenders to reimburse the costs of any investigation, seizure or detention.

The dog can be detained until an investigation is completed or, where proceedings are brought, until those proceedings are resolved or withdrawn.

An important clarification in the revised legislation is that physical contact is not required for an offence to occur. The Act defines livestock worrying as attacking livestock, chasing or stalking livestock in a way that could reasonably be expected to cause injury, suffering, miscarriage or loss of produce, and being at large, meaning off the lead or not under close control, in a field or enclosure where there are sheep.

A dog owner or the person in charge of a dog at the time of an incident can be held responsible. However, the Act introduces a new defence for situations where the dog was in the charge of another person without the owner's consent, for instance if the dog had been stolen.

The National Sheep Association reported that 87% of sheep farmers in England experienced a dog attack on their flock in 2024. The financial cost to farmers from lost animals, veterinary treatment and the stress on surviving livestock has been rising for years, and the £1,000 cap was widely regarded as insufficient deterrent.

The Defra Farming Blog noted when the changes were announced that livestock numbers in England and Wales have roughly doubled since 1953, and that far more people now visit the countryside with dogs than at the time the original Act was passed. The update was framed not as a restriction on dog walking, but as a modernisation of tools available to police and courts when incidents do occur.

The law applies in England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legislation.

This change is primarily relevant to countryside dog owners and farmers, rather than to the core questions around shared pet arrangements that Pawsettle focuses on. But it is a useful reminder that pet ownership carries legal responsibilities that can change, and that keeping clear records of where your dog walks, and with whom, is good practice regardless. If you share care of a dog with another person, a Pet Parenting Agreement is a practical way to document who is responsible for the animal in which circumstances, including when out on walks.