New bill to put dogs on leads backed by Farming Minister
It's after Gladis the highland cow was chased to her death by dogs.
The Minister for Farming, Victoria Prentis, has put forward her support for a bill that would force owners to put their dogs on a lead near livestock.
'Gladis law' has recieved support from around 4,000 people following the death of Gladis the highland cow near Bridport.
Gladis was chased off a rampart of Eggardon Hill in a suspected dog attack, killing both Gladis and her unborn calf in May.
Local farmer Cameron Farquharson is behind the campaign. He said:
“I could never have anticipated the response we’ve had from the public and members of parliament. Some people have even asked if they can donate money to help us.
"Although we really appreciate the gesture, losing Gladis and her calf was such a dark time for me and my family, we felt it was only right to redirect these generous offers to charities helping other people in similar situations.
"So far, an unbelievable £39,000 of redirected donations has been raised for the Farming Community Network, Addington Fund, Forage Aid, RABI and RSABI.”
It's being backed by Chris Loder, the MP for West Dorset.
After a summit with the Farming Minister last week, the Chris returned to West Dorset with a clear Government commitment to support Mr Loder's request for legislation to further amend the law following his previous Animal Welfare Act that came into force just last week.
Mr Loder said:
"Irresponsible people who let their dogs roam in fields with cows and sheep that attack livestock need to understand it is not acceptable and it should be punishable by law.
"Livestock worrying often leads to tragedy both for the animals, and for the farmer and their family. It's time for a new law to hold dog owners to account."