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Latest figures from NFU Mutual revealed livestock in Northern Ireland value an estimated £147,000 had been severely injured or killed by dogs in 2023.
Last 12 months additionally noticed the variety of canine assaults on livestock in Northern Ireland double in comparison with 2022 and 2021.
Co Armagh farmer George Carvill is contemplating giving up his sheep flock after a canine attack left 28 lambs lifeless.
The attack took place in early December 2023 and George is deeply involved that the canine, or dogs, accountable will return and triggered carnage in his in-lamb ewes.
Currently grazing away from George’s farm close to Middletown, the ewes are as a result of be moved again for lambing. George is contemplating promoting the ewes now or bringing them again to the farm and promote them after lambing – with the chance that they may very well be attacked.
“It was a terrible experience for me and my 16-year-old son, Frank, who looks after the sheep with me,” he commented.
“We walked into the field to feed the lambs sugar beet and were shocked to see a dead lamb near the gateway. We thought it was a one-off, but as we walked through the field we saw another dead lamb, and then more and more – 28 in all.
“They had been badly mauled, and it was clear the injuries were the result of a dog attack.”
Even worse was to return when George and Frank reached the sector boundary to seek out that one other 12 lambs had been stampeded into the River Cor the place they’d drowned.
Just 13 lambs had been left alive. They had escaped, some with badly mauled faces, by leaping into the following subject.
The lambs, bred from Suffolk mules crossed with a Charolais tup ,had been in nice situation and prepared for market.
“I just don’t know what we are going to do – because no-one saw the dog, we’ve no way of tracing it and there’s a very real risk it will come back and attack again if we bring the ewes back to the farm,” George added.
“We haven’t had a dog attack since 1983, but there are a lot more dogs around now in Middletown and we know some of them are let out to roam uncontrolled by their owners.”
George’s household has run the 90-acre farm on the outskirts of Middletown for over 50 years and likewise finishes beef cattle.
Two canine assaults on their small flock have left Co Antrim farmers Greg and Glen Longstaff with two ewes lifeless and a disrupted breeding programme.
Greg and Glen have run the 40 acre farm between Ballymena and Ballyclare for 5 years alongside their jobs. Although from a farming background, Greg got here to the farm as a brand new entrant and is making an attempt to build up the flock of pedigree Texel and Dorset ewes.
The assaults took place final autumn, just a few days after the 70 ewes had been artificially inseminated. Scans have revealed that six of the 18 Texel ewes within the subject will not be carrying lambs – which Greg attributes to them being chased spherical their subject.
The dogs accountable for the assaults are thought to have escaped from a home and haven’t been traced, leaving Greg with the fear his flock may undergo additional assaults.
The dogs had been first noticed chasing the 18 ewes throughout daylight however couldn’t be caught. They returned at night time and attacked once more.
From a sighting of the dogs and the vet’s report on the lifeless ewes’ accidents, it’s thought that the assaults had been carried out by a husky-type canine and terrier.
“It’s the first dog attack we’ve had and we’re at a loss to understand where the dog came from,” Greg stated.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere, with no footpaths and we’re not even near a road.
“There were 18 ewes in the field at the time of the attack, and two pedigree ewes were killed. Six were left empty with the loss of semen which can’t be replaced, altering our breeding plans.
“Even after intervention from the dog warden he dogs weren’t traced, but would have been covered in blood after eating the throat out of a ewe.
“Although our NFU Mutual insurance covered the value of the sheep that were killed, the attacks cased a tremendous amount of disruption and the loss of lambs is going to hit us hard.
“We run the flock for the joy of keeping sheep rather than as a purely commercial business, and this has taken the pleasure out of it.
“We’re now checking the sheep more often and regularly making sure the fences are all in good order – but it’s practically impossible to fence the fields to make them completely secure against determined dogs. We’ve also put cameras round the farm to help trace dogs if there’s another attack.”
Meanwhile, repeated canine assaults, which have led to the deaths of 54 lambs, have compelled a Dungannon farmer to cease retaining sheep.
The first attack took place in December 2021. A big canine killed 18 lambs, and an additional 15 drowned after being chased into the river. The attack solely stopped when David Scott shot the canine.
A 12 months to the day later, one other canine carried out a frenzied attack on David’s Beltex cross lambs. This time 12 of the 120 head flock had been killed.
Despite an insurance coverage pay out from his NFU Mutual coverage, David has stopped shopping for in lambs to complete by the autumn due to the chance of additional assaults.
“Around here the villages are being developed and there are more people and dogs than ever before – and some are keeping large dangerous dogs,” he defined.
“I hope to go back to finishing lambs in the future,but at the moment it’s too risky.”
Lambs being injured and killed by dogs is simply a part of the issue farmers are dealing with. Surviving sheep are traumatised by being terrorised by dogs and by no means thrive.
David’s farm is a mile from the closest village, however giant dogs left free to roam have been seen regularly by David and neighbouring farmers.
“The injuries caused by the dog in the latest attack were absolutely horrific,” he continued.
“The vet who came out to euthanise the badly-injured lambs said the bite marks were so large it looked like a wolf attack.”
David, who has farmed all his life, has 40 acres of his personal land and had rented further land for the lamb ending enterprise.
Across the UK, the estimated cost of livestock worrying soared by almost 30 per cent to £2.4 million final 12 months.
At the identical time, NFU Mutual’s recent survey of over 1,100 canine house owners discovered extra individuals had been letting their dogs off leads within the countryside final 12 months than in 2022, 68 per cent and 64 per cent respectively.
Worryingly, lower than half (49 per cent) stated their pet at all times comes again when known as.
Almost eight p.c admitted their canine chases livestock however 46 per cent believed their canine was not able to inflicting the loss of life or harm of livestock.
The NFU Mutual-backed Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill is making its approach by parliament, geared toward enhancing powers available to police in coping with canine assaults on livestock.
Martin Malone, NFU Mutual Manager for Northern Ireland, commented: “The Easter holidays is a great opportunity to explore Northern Ireland’s countryside, but people must remember these idyllic rural destinations are working environments, key to farmers’ livelihoods and home to millions of sheep and new-born lambs.
“This year’s lambing season is well underway across Northern Ireland and farmers are understandably worried that an influx of out-of-control dogs this Easter could cause unnecessary carnage to new-born lambs out in the fields with their mothers for the first time.
“All dogs are capable of disturbing, chasing, attacking and killing farm animals, regardless of breed, size or temperament.
“That’s why we are urging everyone exercising their dogs in the countryside to keep them on a lead wherever livestock may be nearby but to let go if chased by cattle.”
UFU deputy president, William Irvine, added: “Livestock worrying has at all times been an ongoing concern for our members, however it heightens much more throughout vacation intervals as extra individuals and their pets enterprise to the countryside for train and leisure exercise.
“At this time of 12 months ewes are closely pregnant and any chase by dogs, irrespective of the scale, can lead to an ewe aborting her unborn lambs. Recently born lambs are additionally extraordinarily vulnerable to canine assaults.
“It is vital that canine house owners have their canine on a lead always and that they’ve full management. This is the one approach to make sure no hurt involves livestock and that walkers and their pets can benefit from the countryside peacefully. Rural areas are there for everybody to get pleasure from however as a farmer this can be very irritating to see dogs being let unfastened by their house owners, particularly in areas the place livestock are.’’
