Gardaí have launched an investigation following the discovery of 10 dead lambs which were dumped in a river near Dunleer, Co. Louth last Thursday (April 21).

The lambs were discovered dumped on a piece of land in the River Dee approximately 30ft below a bridge off the R132 Belfast/Dublin road near the Cappogue area.

A passerby discovered the carcasses at approximately 5:50p.m Thursday evening, and informed local councillor Pearse McGeough, who reported the findings to the gardaí.

The lambs were discovered on a piece of land in the River Dee. Source: Sinn Féin

In a statement to Agriland, gardaí confirmed that they received a report of “a number of dead lambs in the Dunleer area of Co. Louth at approximately midnight” on the evening of the discovery.

As of yet, no arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

Speaking to Agriland, Cllr. McGeough said that he attended the scene as soon as he was informed, and was “disgusted” by what he saw.  

“I looked down and I spotted the lambs, I was sickened and disgusted that somebody would do that. My first call was to the council and then I got in touch with the guards,” he said.

McGeough said that he did not want to stigmatise the farming community as this is largely an isolated incident, but he called out those behind the dumping as “cowboys”.

“I emphasise that no responsible farmer would do such a thing. Opportunists and cowboys are what the people responsible are, that is all they are,” he continued.

“It looks like they just drove along the road, pulled up along the bridge and threw the dead lambs over then drove on. It probably only took seconds.”

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) was also informed of the incident as there were concerns around contamination of the river, following suggestions that more carcasses may have been dumped but washed away before the discovery.

IFI has not yet confirmed whether or not the river is being investigated, or if any pollution has been identified.

Cllr. McGeough raised the discovery at a meeting of Louth County Council on Monday (April 25), and said that the incident was met with “disgust and disgrace” by other council members.

“It’s just reprehensible, there’s no way I can describe how strongly I feel about it and the people that did this,” McGeough repeated.

Due to access issues, the carcasses had not been removed at the time of the meeting, however, McGeough said he has been informed that they have since been taken away and disposed of properly.