Dog owners in England and Wales are being warned that they could face big fines if their dogs bother livestock while they are being walked.
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The Labour Party government has approved and officially backed the Dogs (Protection of Livestock)
The government says it will be enforced starting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The new law gives police and courts more resources, which helps them respond better when something happens.
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The government said, “This change to the law” has nothing to do with limiting dog walking. It’s about making sure that people can still enjoy the countryside while protecting livestock, promoting animal welfare, and helping farmers do their daily work.
The changes make it clear that hurting livestock is different from worrying livestock. It makes the law cover attacks and worrying of livestock that happen on roads and paths, and it includes camelids (since llamas and alpacas are common farm animals).
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The new law also gives dog owners a new defense: they can’t be held responsible if someone else was taking care of the dog at the time of the crime without the owner’s permission, like if the dog was stolen.
Labour says that the new law gives courts the power to make criminals pay for the costs of taking and keeping a dog.
The law’s goal is to be a strong deterrent by raising the maximum fine from £1,000 to an unlimited amount. This law gives the government the power to take and keep dogs, collect samples and impressions from dogs or livestock, and lets the police enter and search homes to find, take, and keep a dog to stop future incidents.
