New law changes this week that all dog walkers need to be aware of

The legislation comes into effect this week on Wednesday, March 18, 2026

A new law is being introduced to protect livestock from dogs, coming into effect this week in England and Wales and affecting those who walk their dogs in the countryside.

The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 comes into effect on Wednesday, March 18, changing what the law defines as ‘worrying livestock’, and increasing the penalty for breaking the law.

While it has long been an offence to allow a dog to worry livestock, the legislation was originally introduced in 1953 and has not kept pace with changes in the countryside. The change has come into effect as livestock numbers in England and Wales have doubled since then, and more people visit the countryside with their dogs.

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The change to the legislation will strengthen the tools available to police and the courts so they can respond more effectively when incidents happen. The Government has urged that the new law is not about restricting dog walking, it is about making sure people can continue to enjoy the countryside while keeping livestock safe, protecting animal welfare and supporting farmers.

For dog owners, this means that responsible access to the countryside is encouraged. Dog owners should ‘be aware’ of their surroundings when walking near livestock.

Advice to dog owners on the Gov.uk website reads: “A dog does not need to make physical contact with animals to commit an offence under the new law. Chasing or disturbing livestock can cause harm.

“The Countryside Code advises that dogs should be kept on a lead around livestock. Always check local signs, as some areas require dogs to be on a lead all or part of the year.”

The changes

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

More information can be found here.