Justice · Livestock attack evidenceWales livestock DNA: Police gain sampling powers as farmers receive test kitsAired October 29, 2026 at 8:04 PM UTCWritten October 29, 2026 at 8:13 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Police can now take DNA samples from dogs suspected of attacking livestock.0:11Farmers in Wales are receiving evidence kits to help identify the animals0:14responsible, including when an owner denies involvement.0:17Can evidence recovered from attacked livestock reliably identify a particular dog?0:21Police put a tax on farm animals across Wales at about three hundred in two thousand0:25and twenty-five.0:26Difed Powie's police has assigned two crime scene officers to support0:29investigations, adding specialist help with collecting evidence after an attack.0:33Farmers face injured or dead animals, financial losses, and the distress of finding0:38their livestock attacked.0:39The financial damage runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds.0:42Two estimates describe that damage, but they measure different things.0:45NFU Mutual estimated insurer costs exceeded three hundred pounds, zero in Wales in0:49two thousand and twenty-five.0:50Its separate estimate valued livestock severely injured or killed at three hundred0:54and eighty-five pounds, zero up twenty-three percent from two thousand and0:57twenty-four.0:57That increase applies to livestock value, and the two monetary estimates can't be1:01added together.1:02Farmers are receiving kits designed to help recover the attacking dog's DNA from1:05livestock.1:06Researchers at Liverpool John Moore's University will examine samples and develop1:10collection guidance.1:11The work builds on an earlier trial.1:13While new legislation gives police stronger investigative powers, ten police forces1:18in England and Wales joined a collection trial in June2024.1:22The livestock protection amendment received royal assent in December2025 and took1:26effect on March18,2026 .1:29The October Welsh effort brings kits, police support, and university analysis1:33together.1:34The Dog's Protection of Livestock Amendment Act gives police the power to take1:37samples from dogs during these investigations.1:39It also changes the financial penalty owners can face.1:42Courts now have discretion to impose fines above the old ceiling.1:46The previous maximum fine was one pound zero.1:49The new maximum is unlimited, so a court can impose a higher penalty.1:53The actual punishment depends on the case, and collecting a dog sample is one step1:57in investigating responsibility.1:58An owner's denial can leave investigators trying to connect a particular dog to an2:02attack.2:03Wales Wildlife and Rural Crime Coordinator Rob Taylor says the new sampling power is2:07especially useful in those disputed cases.2:09Taylor says DNA can help with identification when an owner insists their dog wasn't2:13involved.2:14The aim is to give investigators evidence they can compare with material recovered2:17from the attacked animal rather than depend on an admission.2:20Researchers are working toward an individual dog's genetic profile using short2:24tandem repeats or STRs.2:26These are repeating stretches of DNA used in profiling.2:28Measuring how much canine DNA a sample contains helps prepare the laboratory2:32analysis.2:33Identifying a particular dog requires recovering a profile and comparing it with a2:37dog sample.2:38Investigators first need suitable material from the attacked livestock.2:42Laboratory work then aims to recover a canine STR profile.2:45A comparison with a dog sample can support identification.2:48The usefulness of the result depends on that whole collection and analysis process.2:53Taylor says ninety percent of attacks are resolved outside court, though he doesn't2:57specify the period or number of cases behind that figure.3:00He says owners often apologize, compensate the farmer, and attend an approved online3:04responsible dog ownership course.3:06Stronger identification evidence can help settle responsibility before a case3:10reaches court.3:11North Wales police constable Ian Nichols says attack reports are constantly coming3:15in and cause financial loss and distress.3:17University researcher Nick Donnay wants to improve every stage from crime, scene3:21investigation to analysis, including how usable evidence reaches the laboratory.3:25Donnay's longer term goal is to find out whether farmers or vets can collect usable3:30DNA when an investigator can't arrive in time.3:32Farmers are already receiving kits while that collection guidance is being3:36developed.3:36The project hasn't yet published a measured rate for recovering profiles or3:40identifying individual dogs in these attacks.3:42Its next test is whether collection and analysis consistently produce evidence that3:46supports responsibility in disputed cases.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSS
