Proper enforcement of existing dog control laws are equally important as bringing in new laws to prevent attacks on livestock, one farm organisation has said.
According to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), laws are “no good if not enforced”.
Speaking this afternoon (Wednesday, January 18), ICSA sheep chairperson Sean McNamara said: “A reading of local authority control of dog statistics will show you that, in 2021, zero on-the-spot fines under the Control of Dogs Act were issued in several counties, including counties that have big sheep numbers.”
These counties include Roscommon, Kildare, Tipperary, Westmeath, and Wicklow.
This, McNamara SAID, “indicates a shocking lack of enforcement of existing dog control laws”.
“For many years, [we] have campaigned for a coordinated approach to help counteract the appalling destruction of sheep caused by dog attacks. Some progress has been made, including the compulsory requirement to microchip and register all dogs,” he said.
“However, we need the political will to ensure that rules are enforced and that resources are in place to achieve this,” he added.
“These figures illustrate the complete lack of any sort of consistency or real enforcement when it comes to our dog laws.”
“For a start, we don’t even know how many dogs there are in the country. Conservative estimates put the figure at around 500,000 but the reality is the figure could be closer to one million,” according to McNamara.
He added: “We know that, on average, around 200,000 dog licences are issued annually but we cannot state with any level of accuracy what proportion of the dog population that represents.”
The ICSA sheep chair called on government to put substantial investment in place to ensure compliance with existing laws. He also called for the number of dog wardens in the country to be increased.
“We need to examine the sanctions being imposed on those breaking the law and the effectiveness of those sanctions when it comes to changing behaviour.
“We have seen very little evidence that the current sanctions are tough enough to act as a deterrent or to focus minds on always keeping dogs under control,” McNamara said.
“We need a plan to incentivise compliance with the obligations of dog owners. This should include a public information campaign around the dog ownership laws, and also a lot more focus on the damage done by sheep attacks,” he added.