A sheep farmer in Cavan has said his farm was “under siege” from dogs in the 10 months. Since May of last year and, in six separate attacks by dogs, Johnny Lynch has lost 53 lambs and two sheep.

“I’ve had a woeful run of it alright,” said Johnny when contacted by the Irish Farmers Journal. “I’ve lost over 50 lambs and a few ewes all-in-all. It’s gone beyond a joke now,” he added.

Johnny, whose farm is divided into plots in Mountnugent, said the first attack happened in May with another attack as recently as last week, where 11 lambs were killed.

“I had a couple killed in May and again in June of last year,” he explained. “I had another then in October where no ewes were killed but they got worried badly and I lost in the region of 30 lambs as a result of that incident.

“There was a further attack in December before two final ones in February. The vet in the region here said the recent attacks were the worst he had ever seen. It was brutal,” he added.

The loss of such an amount of lambs has had a big impact on the running of the farm. Johnny is calling on dog owners to ensure they know the whereabouts of their dog at all times.

“It’s very hard to overcome. I usually have around 150 or 160 ewes and losing that amount has been a big hit. Dog owners don’t seem to take any notice at all but they have to realise the destruction dogs on the loose can cause to sheep and sheep farmers. It needs to stop,” he said.