North Wales Police and a forensic research team are collaborating to provide invaluable support to future livestock attack investigations.
Dog attacks on livestock were estimated to have cost British farmers £1.52 million last year, according to industry data. On average in North Wales there are around 120 dog attacks on livestock per year. Most of these are committed by dogs that have escaped from their homes and many of these incidents involve attacks on sheep.
With funding provided by DEFRA, North Wales officers have united with scientists at Liverpool John Moores University to implement a DNA-based investigation process to identify dogs suspected to have committed such attacks.
As part of an ongoing research project that began in 2021, Rural Crime Team officers investigating these incidents have gathered swab samples from injured and deceased livestock at crime scenes.
Collected samples are then sent on to university researchers, whose work attempts to isolate the DNA of the canine involved.
It is hoped that the results will enable police forces, and forensic science services across Wales and England, to employ best DNA practice when dealing with livestock attacks under the new powers proposed in the Kept Animals Bill.
The government-backed legislation is currently making its way through Parliament and will cover the whole of Wales and England.