A dog which has killed over 50 sheep in Co.Wexford and injured countless more has been shot dead.
A farmer shot the animal last night, February 16, after he returned to the scene of where he found some of his sheep dead, only to find the dog there again.
Wexford IFA Chairman, James Kehoe, said that the damage caused by the dog is estimated to be nearly €10,000.
“The dog warden is on the way to see if the dog is micro-chipped.”
He also said that the events over the past number of weeks are going to have consequences further down the line, with some sheep reportedly being unfit for human consumption due to the tainting of their meat, caused by stress.
Last week, Kehoe said that farmers had tried everything to contain the dog, including trying to shoot it, to no avail.
He said that he had also contacted the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe, to see if it would be possible to get the army involved in the matter.
It’s the dog owners responsibility, it’s not the dogs fault, the owners are responsible for keeping the dog under supervision. It’s unfortunate when they attack.
The dog was roaming around in a two-to-three mile radius attacking sheep before the farmer shot it last night.
IFA National Sheep Chairman John Lynskey has said that marauding dogs can inflict horrendous damage on a sheep flock.
With the country’s 30,000 sheep farmers preparing to lamb down 2.5m ewes over the coming three months, this is a very busy and anxious time for farmers, he said.
There is clear evidence that flocks are more vulnerable to dog attacks at this time of year, he added.