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Some 216 dogs have been seized by dog wardens and county councils for livestock worrying over the last five years. The dogs were seized between 2015 and 2019.
Tipperary had the highest number of seizures, with 66 dogs seized for worrying in the last five years. It was followed by Donegal with 45 and Galway with 33.
Twelve of Ireland’s 27 county councils in Ireland gave the information in response to a freedom of information request by the Irish Farmers Journal.
The data also reveals that in those 12 councils, plus Mayo, 38 on-the-spot fines were issued as a result of livestock worrying and dog owners were fined a total of €2,900 over the last five years.
The IFA estimates that there are between 300 and 400 attacks per annum, with 3,000 to 4,000 sheep injured and/or killed.
One of the worst attacks of 2019 happened in Co Wexford in March when 68 sheep were killed. Two dogs, an Alsatian and a Doberman, attacked a flock of 235 in a shed outside Enniscorthy.
In Co Louth, the IFA has recorded over 50 attacks in the Cooley Peninsula since the beginning of 2019. Farmers there said they were “under siege” from dog attacks.
In response to queries from the Irish Farmers Journal An Garda Síochána said it was not able to provide statistics on the number of complaints received from farmers.
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