Livestock: Animal Welfare

There are various lethal and non-lethal approaches available to farmers to help them protect their livestock from predation.

Under the Environmental Land Management standalone Capital Grants scheme, the item ‘FG1: Fencing’ primarily provides funding for farmers to install fencing to control livestock and protect environmental features but it can help to protect livestock from predators. Defra announced in February that the scheme will re-open in summer 2025 and we will confirm the precise date in due course.

While some predators such as wild birds of prey are afforded legal protection in England, a farmer, as an authorised person, may carry out activities to prevent serious damage to livestock from listed species of corvids under Defra’s general licence 42 (GL42: general licence to kill or take certain species of wild birds to prevent serious damage - GOV.UK). Farmers are also free to lethally control certain mammalian predators such as fox and weasel to protect their livestock, providing they comply with animal welfare legislation. Aside from wild predators, the Government is supporting a Private Members’ Bill introduced by the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury which will introduce new measures to tackle the serious issue of livestock worrying.