A Kerry county councillor has said that “severe penalties” will be required for dog owners if attacks on livestock continue.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill condemned the recent injury and death caused to sheep and lambs on farms.
“These incidents are very traumatic for all involved and on top of that, are bringing financial hardship to our hard-pressed sheep farmers.
“Unfortunately the incidences appear to be on the increase and the losses higher than before,” he said.
“We all love our dogs and pets, but we must all take responsibility for them and ensure they have no opportunity to stray onto farmland, worrying livestock and in some instances, causing injury or death.
“We are talking about people’s livelihoods here, not just the pure cruelty involved,” Cahill added.
Dog attacks
The councillor said that finding sheep and lambs dead or dying after being viciously torn apart by dogs is something farmers will never forget.
He appealed to dog owners to act responsibly and prevent attacks from happening in the first place.
“Do you know where your pet is 24/7? Are you entirely satisfied your pet is not straying onto lands stocked with sheep and cattle?
“If this continues, severe penalties will have to be imposed, both financially and on the freedom of movement of dangerous pets. And that’s the last thing anybody wants,” Cahill said.
In March, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue brought a memo to Cabinet recommending that the fine for owners who fail to control their dogs is doubled to €5,000.
The interim report from an interdepartmental working report on the control of dogs also called on the government to hire 40 new dog wardens across the country.
Last week, Patrick McCarthy, who keeps Scotch and Cheviot sheep in the Sneem area, told Agriland that a dog attack resulted in the deaths of 70 of his sheep.
The farmer believes that the dogs involved in the incident forced the sheep into the sea as he discovered the bodies of three ewes and a couple of lambs washed in with the tide.
The farmer said that it was “an awful scene” which has left him very upset. He has reported the dog attack to the local gardaí.
“It’s an awful loss, it’s cruelty to the sheep as well. It’s desperate cruelty. These sheep were well looked after,” he said.