Nearly 500 attacks recorded on livestock by dogs in North Wales

Nearly 500 attacks on livestock by dogs have been recorded in North Wales between 2013 -2017, according to a report by the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC)

Of the 449 recorded cases in the area, 52 resulted in the offending dog being shot.

Under current rules dog owners are not obliged to report their dog if it attacks a livestock animal. The NPCC are now calling for legislation to make livestock worrying a recordable offence.

They believe the definition of livestock needs to be expanded to reflect new trends in farming and include Llamas, alpacas, emus, ostriches.

The council also want police to be granted more powers to obtain DNA from dogs suspected of attacking livestock. The report recommends the creation of a database of dog DNA samples.