Around 25 pedigree sheep have been killed following a suspected dog attack in west Kerry which took place during Storm Debi.
Gardaí said that the incident happened between Sunday evening (November 12) and Monday morning (November 13) in the Ventry area.
It is understood that sheep which were killed and injured by the dogs were pedigree Dorset ewes.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told Agriland: “Gardaí were alerted to an incident whereby a number of sheep were found deceased following a suspected dog attack in Ventry, Co. Kerry.
“The incident is understood to have occurred between Sunday evening and Monday morning, November 13, 2023. Investigations are ongoing.
“Gardaí in Ballyferriter are appealing to anyone who may have information in relation to this incident to contact them at Ballyferriter Garda Station on 066 915 6111 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111,” the spokesperson added.
Dog attack
The dog attack comes as Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, recently announced a suite of new measures designed to enhance dog control.
The measures will see on-the-spot fines for more serious offences under the Control of Dogs Act increase from €100 to €300 from December 1.
A €2 million fund will be established to upgrade local authority shelter facilities and vehicles nationwide.
The minister will also ask a high-level stakeholder group to examine wider issues, such as expanding the “restricted breeds” list.
However, farm organisations said that more needs to be done to protect livestock from dog attacks.
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) branded the proposals as “tokenism” and said that Minister Humphreys has not listened to the concerns of farmers around dog attacks.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that the new regulations are “a first step”, but added that more is needed to protect livestock from dog attacks.
IFA is seeking a single national database for all dogs to correlate licensing and microchipping, identifying the person responsible for the dog, along with increasing the number of dog wardens on the ground.
The association said that an essential aspect of any enhanced legislation will be enforcement.