The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has issued a plea to dog owners and the general public to remain “vigilant and responsible” for their dogs in order to prevent attacks on sheep.
Sean McNamara, the association’s president, was speaking after 14 sheep were killed on two farms in one night earlier this month in Co. Wexford.
It is understood that the dogs had travelled more than 2km before carrying out the attack.
“We are pleading with all dog owners to take measures to prevent their pets from roaming unsupervised. It is imperative that owners of dogs understand the gravity of their responsibility and take action to prevent attacks on livestock.
“These attacks not only inflict physical harm but also leave a lasting emotional impact on farmers who witness the aftermath of such incidents, and all because the dog owners involved were too complacent about where their dogs were and what they were doing, McNamara said.
He added: “There are consequences all around when it comes to these senseless attacks. As well as the harm and suffering to livestock and the emotional stress for farmers, there are also financial ramifications, including the loss of valuable breeding stocks and lambs, veterinary bills, and even potential legal costs.”
The ICSA president also drew attention to the consequences for the dog owners.
“Dog owners can be fined for failing to control their dogs and may be faced with paying compensation to farmers. Then there is the often-heartbreaking reality of having their pets put down. This was the case in Wexford last week.
“By all accounts these were well-fed family pets. However, all dogs – even those with a gentle and friendly demeanour – can react around livestock and turn predatory,” McNamara said.
He added: “I am pleading with dog owners to keep their dogs under control so we can stop this scourge on vulnerable livestock.”
The Co. Wexford attacks occurred overnight on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3.
They occurred on two farms in the Murrintown area. Gardaí confirmed to Agriland that they are investigating the incidents.
The Wexford county chair of the ICSA, Dessie Greene, told Agriland that the attack was only discovered on the Saturday morning, when the farmers discovered their sheep were scattered.
One farmer had two ewes killed in the attack and four subsequently put down, while the other had six killed by the dogs and a further two put down.
Greene said that these ewes were heavily in-lamb and were due to lamb in April.
The Wexford ICSA county chair said the same dogs were believed to have previously attacked sheep in December.
“These dogs had come before. We had no idea who owned them, but we knew the type of dogs they were,” he said.
After the most recent attack, the dogs were caught and put down.