A dog which had to be rescued off a mountain in Wicklow recently is an example of why farmers have banned dog walkers from their lands, IFA national sheep chair Sean Dennehy has said.
“The owners let their dogs off the leash and one of them chased a deer. The dog then disappeared for a fortnight and was free to roam across farmland without any control.
“It was extremely lucky to be rescued. It’s this type of irresponsible behaviour that has created problems for farmers and put their livestock under threat. It’s also very unfair on the dogs.”
Reckless owners
The IFA has said authorities' failure to put appropriate sanctions in place to deal with the reckless behaviour of some dog owners means the only way to protect livestock is to stop the threat at source.
"Rather than risk the devastating consequences, farmers have no option but to refuse members of the public with dogs entry to our lands. A growing number of reckless dog owners have brought this on everybody else,” Dennehy continued.
"There has been a significant increase in attacks in recent months. The message simply isn't getting through. We also have reports of farmers encountering verbal abuse and intimidation when they remind dog owners of their responsibilities.”
As part of the IFA nationwide campaign, farmers will be putting up signs on farm gates to state that dogs are not allowed on their land.
The latest report on the implementation of the Control of Dogs Act shows only 217,261 dogs are licensed out of an estimated 800,000.
The IFA has repeated calls on the Government to provide further resources for microchipping and an adequate dog warden service.
Read more
22 in-lamb ewes killed in Kerry dog attack
20 sheep dead following dog attack in Laois
Dog walkers to be refused access to farmland under nationwide ban
A dog which had to be rescued off a mountain in Wicklow recently is an example of why farmers have banned dog walkers from their lands, IFA national sheep chair Sean Dennehy has said.
“The owners let their dogs off the leash and one of them chased a deer. The dog then disappeared for a fortnight and was free to roam across farmland without any control.
“It was extremely lucky to be rescued. It’s this type of irresponsible behaviour that has created problems for farmers and put their livestock under threat. It’s also very unfair on the dogs.”
Reckless owners
The IFA has said authorities' failure to put appropriate sanctions in place to deal with the reckless behaviour of some dog owners means the only way to protect livestock is to stop the threat at source.
"Rather than risk the devastating consequences, farmers have no option but to refuse members of the public with dogs entry to our lands. A growing number of reckless dog owners have brought this on everybody else,” Dennehy continued.
"There has been a significant increase in attacks in recent months. The message simply isn't getting through. We also have reports of farmers encountering verbal abuse and intimidation when they remind dog owners of their responsibilities.”
As part of the IFA nationwide campaign, farmers will be putting up signs on farm gates to state that dogs are not allowed on their land.
The latest report on the implementation of the Control of Dogs Act shows only 217,261 dogs are licensed out of an estimated 800,000.
The IFA has repeated calls on the Government to provide further resources for microchipping and an adequate dog warden service.
Read more
22 in-lamb ewes killed in Kerry dog attack
20 sheep dead following dog attack in Laois
Dog walkers to be refused access to farmland under nationwide ban
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