IFA hits out at dog owners in Offaly who fail to keep pets under control

IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said dog owners who fail to keep their pets under control should be disqualified from dog ownership.
Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine last week, he said the escalating problem of dog attacks on livestock will not be solved unless there is a determined and focused approach from the authorities.
He said the option exists for the courts to disbar ownership of protected animals if there is a failure to comply with welfare obligations in the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.
“Given the devastation caused by an increasing number of dog attacks on sheep in particular, zero tolerance has to be the policy. The Animal Health and Welfare Act sanctions should be extended to irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets cause this devastation on farms.”
Adrian Gallagher said the decision to have the Department of Agriculture as the single enforcement authority is a move in the right direction, but we should have seen this happen long before now.

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As part of a comprehensive submission to the Committee, which can be read here, Adrian Gallagher said the critical issue is the absence of a proper database.
“The most recent figures show just over 200,000 dogs registered. Some estimates put the dog population as high as 800,000. This means the number in the system could be as low as one in four. Until this administrative failure is addressed, we cannot make progress on a robust enforcement process,” he said.
In 2023, only 1,858 on-the-spot fines were issued for breaches, with a mere 631 (or 33%) actually paid. Reporting of livestock-worrying incidents rose to 276, a 3% increase on 2022, though many more go unreported. Reports of aggressive dog behaviour surged to 1,383, resulting in 442 injuries, yet only 311 cases were prosecuted and 149 resulted in convictions.
Enforcement remains severely limited, with only 80 wardens on the ground throughout the country.
Adrian Gallagher said IFA would continue with its ‘No Dogs Allowed’ campaign until there are meaningful improvements to the enforcement process.
“Sheep farmers in particular cannot continue to deal with the aftermath of a dog attack on their farms.”

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