As lambing season is now starting, South Scotland MSP Emma Harper (on Friday 12 February) returned to Carloonan Farm, Inveraray, to join with many of the key stakeholder partners – including farmer Brian Walker, Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, National Sheep Association Scotland, National Farmers Union Scotland, local authority dog warden and various Police Scotland officials – who helped guide Ms Harper’s Dogs: (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act through the Scottish Parliament and into Scots Law.
Carloonan Farm was used as the location for the promotion of the Act as it was one of the final locations Ms Harper visited when she was on her consultation roadshow back in 2018. The Farmer, Brian Walker, has experienced 2 major livestock attack incidents, one of which lead to 14 sheep being euthanised, and others experiencing emotion distress.
The Act, which came into force on the 14th of November 2021, extends the powers available to Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to better investigate and enforce those who allow dogs to become out of control in the countryside which can lead to worrying and attacks on livestock. The Act increases the penalties available to the courts, including to a fine of £40,000, disqualification from owning a dog, or a 12 month custodial sentence. Ms Harper has said that the Act “now adequately reflects the serious financial and emotional consequences, to farmers, of attacks on livestock.”
The key take home message from all involved in the promotion event is for all dog owners to be responsible when with their dogs in the countryside near livestock, to understand that any dog has the ability to chase, attack or kill livestock, and to familiarise themselves with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code before entering Scotland’s vast and beautiful countryside.
Commenting, Ms Harper said:
“As lambing season is beginning, it was great to get back together with farmer, Brian Walker, who previously experienced horrific attacks on his livestock with 14 sheep having to be euthanised because of out of control dogs. It was good to be able to meet again all of the other stakeholders – the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), Police Scotland officers, the National Farmers Union Scotland, National Sheep Association Scotland, the local Argyll and Bute Council Dog Warden and the local vet – to promote my Dogs: (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act. Without the help and support of all of these people, we would not have got my Act into Scots Law.
“Now that the Act is in force, many of these stakeholders – in particular Police Scotland, Argyll and Bute Council and NFU Scotland – have produced fantastic resources for farmers and land owners to raise awareness of my Act and the new powers of investigation and penalties which are available to the courts for those who allow their dog to worry or attack livestock. The Scottish Government have also now produced a joint protocol for evidence gathering in cases of livestock worrying and the First Minister committed to a Scottish Government awareness raising campaign, on the Act, which will be due to start soon.
“The Act, which came into force on 14 November 2021, extends the powers available to Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to better investigate and enforce those who allow dogs to become out of control in the countryside which can then lead to worrying and attacks on livestock. Any attacks on livestock can have serious financial and emotional consequences to Scotland’s farmers who work extremely hard 365 days each year to ensure our food supply.
“My message, and the message from all stakeholders, to those accessing the countryside with dogs is to do so responsibly, to understand that any dog has the ability to chase, attack or kill livestock, and to familiarise themselves with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code before entering Scotland’s vast and beautiful countryside. I look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders to raise awareness of the Act and to closely monitoring its impact and effectiveness in reducing livestock attack incidents.”
