Crime Prevention advise re Livestock worrying & dog owner’s responsibilities
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953
Legislation to provide for the punishment of persons whose dogs worry livestock on agricultural land and for connected purposes
Section 1 - offence for the owner of a dog to allow it to worry livestock on agricultural land.
‘Worrying Livestock’ means -
(a) Attacking livestock,
(b) Chasing livestock in such a way as may reasonably be expected to cause injury or suffering (in the case of females, includes abortion, or loss in their produce)
(c) Being at large (that is to say not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep.
This section shall not apply in relation to -
(a) a dog owned by, or in the charge of, the occupier of the field or the owner of the sheep or a person authorised by either of those persons
(b) police dogs, guide dogs, trained sheep dogs, working gun dogs or hounds.
A person shall not be guilty of an offence, if at the material time the livestock are trespassing on the land in question and the dog is owned by, or in the charge of, the occupier of that land or a person authorised by him.
The owner of a dog shall not be convicted of an offence under this Act in respect of the worrying of livestock by the dog if he proves that at the time when the dog worried the livestock it was in the
charge of some other person, whom he reasonably believed to be a fit and proper person to be in charge of the dog.
Section 2 - Provides powers and guidelines in relation to the offence of worrying livestock under section 1.
No proceedings shall be brought except -
(a) by or with the consent of the chief officer of police for the police area in which the land is situated, or
(b) by the occupier of the land, or
(c) by the owner of any of the livestock in question.
In the case of a dog found on any land -
(a) a police officer has reasonable cause to believe that the dog has been worrying livestock on that land, and the land appears to him to be agricultural land.
(b) no person is present who admits to being the owner of the dog or in charge of it, then for the purpose of ascertaining who is the owner of the dog the police officer may seize it and may detain it until the owner has claimed it and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention.
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