An independent TD has called for mandatory public liability insurance and DNA testing to identify dogs in the investigation of sheep attacks.
A dog worrying sheep has to be identifiable and the blood on livestock after an attack should be used to deliver evidence, Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice said.
Discussing the issue of dangerous dog breeds and sheep worrying, the deputy said DNA testing is “well workable” and results should be collected in a database.
“If we have cattle, as farmers, we take out public liability insurance that if our cattle break out onto the road, and a car hits them, then we cover the damage to the car.
“But a dog can run out in front of a car and can do whatever it wants and go after sheep,” Deputy Fitzmaurice said.
Speaking at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the deputy also suggested a ban of dogs on mountains to protect in-lamb ewes.
Dog control
The head of animal welfare at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Dr. Eoin Ryan, however raised concerns about the technical feasibility of DNA testing.
While Dr. Ryan said he “can see the idea and the purpose” behind identifying the DNA of a dog after a sheep attack, the goal is to increase compliance with microchipping.
While every dog is legally required to be microchipped, a small part of the population does still not comply with this legislation, dog behaviour expert Nanci Creedon said.
Dogs running around without being microchipped or not knowing who is the owner is too much of a risk for farmers now, Deputy Fitzmaurice said.
Sheep attacks
When it comes to sheep attacks, the only effective way is to increase fines and use the money for educating dog wardens, however this is not happening, Creedon said.
While every local authority is obliged to have at least one dog warden, she said it is “unrealistic and dangerous” to have only a few dog wardens deal with a large population of dogs.
An increase of on-the-spot fines from €100 to €250 and a ceiling of €5,000 in court fines is being considered by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.
In 2021, 217 incidents of livestock worrying were reported to the local authorities, according to the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).
However, it is likely that the actual number of attacks is higher than statistics suggest, principal officer at the DRCD, Paul Geraghty told committee members.
“Often people assume ‘my dog is just playing with the sheep’ and obviously not understanding what that does to the sheep,” Creedon added.