What the highest (a) fine and (b) custodial sentence imposed were in each of the last two years under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (A…

We welcome the fact that in Scotland we have tough legislation in place to deal with livestock worrying. The Scottish Government supported Emma Harper’s member’s bill when it was introduced, to provide Police Scotland and the courts with greater powers to deal with those who allow their dogs to worry, attack, or kill livestock in Scotland’s countryside. Under this law owners of dogs that attack or worry livestock can be fined up to £40,000 or face a prison sentence of up to 12 months.Please find the following tables with information about the highest fine (table 1) and custodial sentence imposed (table 2) in each of the last two years under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Scotland) Act 1953 or the amendment, and how many people received these. This information has been extracted from the management information data used to prepare the Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services Criminal Disposals DashboardTable 1: The highest fine imposed each year and number of accused who received it.Financial year of convictionHighest FineNumber of accused2024-2025£8501April 2025 to September 2025NA0Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services Criminal Disposals DashboardTable 2: The highest custodial sentence imposed each year and number of accused who received it.Financial year of convictionCustodial sentence lengthNumber of accused2024-20255 months1April 2025 to September 2025NA0Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services Criminal Disposals Dashboard