A Co Laois farmer suffered a serious attack on his flock of pedigree Llyen ewes on Monday night.
When Portarlington farmer Clive Wardrop went up to check on the 44 ewes on Tuesday morning, he found five dead, several others badly injured and the rest of the group terrified.
“Six will have to be put down. They were heavily in lamb, scanned only three weeks ago and due to lamb in January. The whole thing has been destroyed. Some of them were down drains, some were caught in wire,” he said.
Wardrop had planned to bring some of the ewes to the in-lamb sale in Co Roscommon at the weekend.
Their value was probably €350 to €400 each, he said. The field is almost half a mile from his house. Wardrop didn’t see the dogs and none of them were caught.
“There had to be a number of dogs.”
He contacted the gardaí but they were not confident that much could be done to track the dog owners.
This is the first time Wardrop has suffered a dog attack. In addition to these pedigree ewes, he also runs a commercial flock. He will now have to pay a €20 knackery charge on each dead ewe – on top of all the other losses. He has insurance.
“I reckon I will have to make a claim,” he said.
http://www.farmersjournal.ie/30-000-fine-and-suspended-sentence-for-british-farmer-over-dangerous-cows-241117