IFA calls for crackdown on unregistered dogs amid rising livestock attacks

“The most startling aspect of these figures is that nobody really knows how many dogs are actually in the country. This is an issue that must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” it said.

IFA sheep committee chairman Adrian Gallagher told the committee that in 2023, only 1,858 on-the-spot fines were issued for breaches of the regulations, with a mere 631 (or 33%) actually paid.

Reported livestock-worrying incidents rose to 276, a 3% increase on 2022, though many more go unreported. Reports of aggressive dog behaviour surged to 1,383, resulting in 442 injuries, yet only 311 cases were prosecuted, and 149 resulted in convictions.

Stressing enforcement remains severely limited, with only 80 wardens on the ground countrywide, he said people who fail to keep their pets under control should be disqualified from dog ownership.

Mr Gallagher said the escalating problem of dog attacks on livestock would not be solved unless there is a determined and focused approach from the authorities.

Given the devastation caused by an increasing number of dog attacks on sheep, zero tolerance must be the policy. 

“The Animal Health and Welfare Act sanctions should be extended to irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to cause this devastation on farms,” he said.

Mr Gallagher said the decision to have the Department of Agriculture as the single enforcement authority was a move in the right direction, but it should have happened long before now.

The critical issue was the absence of a proper database, he said, confirming the IFA would continue with its ‘No Dogs Allowed’ campaign until there were meaningful improvements to the enforcement process.

Mr Gallagher, who was joined by IFA senior policy executive Tomás Bourke and policy executive James Walsh, said sheep farmers were affected by the irresponsible behaviour of some dog owners more than any other sector.

Lack of enforcement of obligations on dog owners and low levels of sanctions in this area were allowing this behaviour to continue, with sheep farmers having their flocks savaged by dogs on an almost daily basis at this point.

It is not acceptable to farmers, who provide full traceability for the seven million cattle and almost three million breeding sheep under our care from birth, where every animal is individually tagged and traceable to the person responsible for them, that a similar system is not in place for dog owners.

“Equally there are very severe sanctions for farmers when in breach of animal welfare obligations, but the sanctions imposed on dog owners do not reflect the seriousness of the damage these dog owners allow their pets to inflict on our animals.

The IFA has consistently called for appropriate sanctions and the development of a single national database identifying dogs and their owners/person responsible for the dog.

“The critical issue in the first instance is to have all dogs in the country microchipped, registered to the owner and licensed in order to establish a national database for all dogs and their owners.

“This all comes back to enforcement, boots on the ground and appropriate sanctions for non-compliance,” he said.