Robust measures needed to curb dog attacks on sheep

According to Adrian, 20 sheep were killed in the incident in Cork, with more put down due to the severity of their injuries, while approximately seven were killed or injured in Clare.
Adrian described both incidents as another act of failure from Government to put actions in place to deal with irresponsible dog ownership across the country. He said the time for talking is over, and that dog attacks on livestock have reached unprecedented levels and farmers have had enough.
The IFA says it has put forward measures to control dog attacks to the ministers responsible for this area but have not seen any progress on any of these proposals. Adrian went on to say that the current systems are failing to protect farmers and their livestock, and that the sanctions do not reflect the level of trauma that these dogs are causing.
According to the chair, the absence of a centralised database to identify those responsible for the dogs and the lack of enforcement is compounding the issue. Based on the latest published figures of implementation of the local authorities, according to the IFA, the existing obligations of dog owners are not being enforced, with 311 prosecutions initiated and just 34 per cent of the 1,858 on spot fines paid in 2023.
He said dog ownership laws are currently falling between two different departments which has led to gaps in oversight, enforcement, and accountability undermining the efforts to address the issue.