Gardaí in counties Laois and Offaly have called on dog owners who are walking in rural areas to keep their pets on leads when near sheep.
In a post on the An Garda Síochána Laois/Offaly Facebook page, Gardaí reminded dog owners that lambing season will soon be upon farmers.
The post said: “As lambing season approaches, we kindly remind all dog owners to keep their pets on leads near sheep.
“Even the gentlest dog can cause stress to ewes, which may result in injury or loss of lambs,” the post added.
The post on the Garda page is in support of a call from Haven Rescue – an animal welfare volunteer group – to protect sheep welfare ahead of lambing season.
Gardaí called on social media users to share the post from Haven Rescue’s Facebook page.
“Your care and attention make a difference for our farming community,” gardaí said.
Gardaí investigate sheep deaths
Elsewhere, gardaí have launched an investigation into an incident of “animal cruelty” that occurred on a farm in Clonkeen, Co. Kerry, on January 5, resulting in the death of a sheep.
According to a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána, the incident occurred at approximately 3:30p.m on the farm, but gardaí declined to comment on the exact nature of the sheep’s death, explaining that the “investigation is ongoing”.
Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Kerry chairperson, Jason Fleming, told Agriland that the farmer who owns the sheep had contacted him and claimed he had caught the suspect “red handed” in the act.
Fleming said that the farmer was “very upset” over what he had described as the “horrific” circumstances of the incident.
Fleming explained that the farmer in question told him that he was feeding his sheep early Sunday morning when he noticed traces of blood on the gate of the holding and decided to investigate the matter further.
Fleming believes the suspect committed the crime with a view of taking the sheep for “human consumption”.
Gardaí in Killarney have been alerted to the incident and, according to Fleming, are following a definite line of inquiry.