In a bid to raise awareness of the severity of the issue of livestock worrying and to help prevent it, we’ve put together the following guidance for both livestock owners and dog owners, to help keep both sets of animals safe and well.
What is livestock worrying?
The term “livestock” in England and Wales includes any owned “cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, or poultry, and for the purposes of this definition “cattle” means bulls, cows, oxen, heifers or calves, “horses” includes asses and mules, and “poultry” means domestic fowls, turkeys, geese or ducks.” (Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953).
Livestock worrying is a well-known issue within the farming world and most agricultural businesses are well-versed in the precautions that they can take to avoid their livestock from being worried. As much as the responsibility falls upon them to look after their animals, the responsibility also falls upon dog owners.
How livestock worrying affects dog owners and what they can do to prevent it
It is important for dog owners to take measures to prevent their dog from chasing livestock, such as ensuring their dog is always under control, keeping them on a lead when in areas with livestock, and only letting them off the lead in enclosed spaces without livestock.
By taking these steps, responsible dog owners can help protect both dogs and farm animals, as well as prevent the financial repercussion should their dog be found guilty of livestock worrying. Not only this, as a natural pet owner, a dog owner should be invested in their dog’s safety, which can be put in massive jeopardy if a farmer discovers it troubling their animals.
In our blog, ‘Why livestock worrying should be a worry for dog owners’, we give a comprehensive explanation as to how dog owners relate to the issue, outline the penalties they would face if their dog was to be caught worrying livestock, and provide some pointers on what they can do to prevent that from happening.
How livestock worrying affects livestock owners and what they can do to prevent it
Shepherds and farmers are increasingly facing a difficult problem in the form of dog attacks on livestock, especially sheep. This is a major issue for farmers as it can lead to significant financial losses, as well as emotional distress for the farmer and animals.
People can often forget that while dogs are classed as property, livestock is categorised as livelihood. These farm animals are valuable assets and are both the current and future income for a farmer. That is why we go on to outline the drastic financial and mental implications that livestock worrying can have on farmers and provide some pointers on what they can do to prevent it from happening.
Although insurance cannot prevent the occurrence of livestock worrying, we would recommend that farmers and livestock owners speak to our farm insurance specialists so that we can make sure they have adequate insurance cover in place to act on this risk, and should there need to be a claim made following a livestock worrying incident, our dedicated in-house claims team would step in and work on the farmer’s behalf to provide a fast and fair settlement. We would also encourage rural businesses to seriously consider Business Interruption Insurance to help them bounce back after recovering consequential losses.
We are here if you need us
Stemming from their own personal involvement in the farming sector, our farm insurance specialists have an understanding of the diverse farm insurance market and the knowledge and understanding to help farmers protect their businesses. Find out more about the type of farm insurance we can provide here.
We don’t just stop at insurance; we are here to support and assist our clients throughout the year and raise awareness of the issues that affect their livelihood. We hope that everything we have detailed in our blog provides a good reminder to both livestock owners and dog owners to help them prevent an incident of livestock worrying from happening and reduce the impact should an incident occur.
We also recommend that dog owners look into their pet insurance policy to make sure they are covered in case their dog gets caught worrying animals, and we recommend that livestock owners have adequate cover to reimburse them for any expenses that come as a result of an incident.
For a free review of your farm insurances, or if you would just like some advice, please contact our dedicated Farm Team on 01653 609152 or at farm@mcclarroninsurance.com.
