Lord Grantchester (Lab)

I thank my constituency MP, the newly elected Member for Chester South and Eddisbury, Aphra Brandreth, and the newly ennobled noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, for drawing up this simple amendment to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953. It modernises the law on worrying livestock, which causes such distress to pasture animals, costing farmers and land managers often sizeable amounts to their livelihoods. I declare my interest as a dairy farmer in the rural constituency of Chester South and Eddisbury. I want to draw attention to two important measures in the Bill. First, it includes a new offence of not keeping a dog on a fixed lead in an enclosed area—for example, a field that contains livestock. The presence of a dog in a field is immediately noticed by livestock. This can range from curiosity to anxiety, which the dog will also be aware of. While it may seem overly prescriptive, even a meandering dog with no ill intent can cause livestock to bolt, with serious consequences. In addition, the dog can introduce serious diseases such as neospora to cattle, causing abortion. This is becoming an ever more costly consequence to food producers. The other important feature that I draw attention to is the measure increasing the maximum fine to an unlimited amount, hence allowing penalties to keep up with inflation and provide an effective deterrent into the future without the need for constant pressure to revise what soon becomes insignificant as years pass. I have confidence that appropriate fines will be levied by magistrates. Can my noble friend the Minister confirm that guidance will be issued along with any necessary regulations, so that constant revisions can be avoided? There are an estimated 34,000 incidents of livestock worrying in England and Wales. There are many other updated features to the Bill, such as requiring police to keep a register of dogs seized and extensions to animals being newly farmed. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, for introducing the Bill. Securing parliamentary time for measures is always difficult to achieve, leading often to more wide-ranging, generic pieces of legislation that can become bogged down in more controversial and contentious amendments, so I welcome a Bill that can make necessary incisive improvements to specific circumstances, making more assured progress. The Minister in the other place, Daniel Zeichner, clarified many aspects of the 1953 Act, including how this Bill will apply to guide dogs. I am grateful to him and to my noble friend the Minister in your Lordships’ House for the Government’s support for the measure. I look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Hart, and wish the Bill to pass unamended in your Lordships’ House and become law without delay.