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A farmer could have been seriously injured or killed after a recent violent attack in north Co Dublin, IFA deputy president Richard Kennedy has said.
“The hunting of hares is illegal under the Wildlife Act and gangs with their dogs are trespassing on farmlands across the country and when approached by farmers and landowners are met with hostility and, in some cases, violence," Kennedy said in relation to the assault.
"They worry livestock, damage fences and leave gates open and animals distressed. This is the third such serious attack in the past year in north Dublin.”
Broken legs and collar bone
The IFA also reported that a neighbouring farmer suffered two broken legs and a broken collarbone in St Margaret's after being run over by the van of men he had discovered dumping waste on his land. Since then, another farmer in the same area was approached by men with dogs who assaulted him and threatened him at knifepoint, Kennedy added. He said gardaí were investigating all incidents.
Garda presence
Kennedy called for greater garda presence in rural communities including north Co Dublin and called for a unified approached by "lurching" or "hare coursing" by various groups must be targeted by gardaí and the courts to stamp out lurching or hare coursing.
The IFA will hold a public meeting in the coming weeks in north Co Dublin to address crime.
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