The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) has said it will begin consulting on possible new laws to tackle livestock worrying.

In a statement, a spokesperson for DEFA said the department acknowledged that livestock worrying ‘remains a significant concern for our agricultural community, causing distress to both farmers and animals’.

The comments follow ongoing work by the Manx National Farmers’ Union to gather evidence on the scale and impact of dog attacks on sheep.

DEFA said it valued the union’s efforts to highlight the issue, adding that its surveys would provide ‘valuable insights to help shape our future efforts and policies’.

The spokesperson said: ‘As committed in our Department Plan, we will begin consulting on potential legislative measures to address this matter more effectively next month.

‘We look forward to continued collaboration with farmers, police and other partners as we work together to tackle this issue.’

Earlier this year, the MNFU launched a survey asking farmers to provide feedback on sheep worrying incidents.

The union said the responses would help establish trends and assess the ongoing impact of dog attacks on livestock across the Island.

Questions included how many incidents had occurred, how many sheep had been injured, the types of harm caused and the financial impact on farms.

The MNFU previously said anonymised data from the survey would be shared to support joint working with DEFA and the police, and to inform discussions around possible legislative change.

Livestock worrying has been a longstanding concern for the farming community, with reports in recent years highlighting the emotional and economic toll on farmers.

DEFA said the forthcoming consultation would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the development of any proposed measures.