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A FARMER from Ballygawley has said that fines and sentences must be made more severe to tackle the scourge of dog attacks on livestock, after one of his llamas was severely mauled.
Nigel McMullan told the Tyrone Herald that over the past three years he has lost livestock worth thousands of pounds due to repeated and ongoing dog attacks.
Lilly the llama had been bought as a guard animal to help protect his sheep following a spate of attacks over the past five years. Despite this, she was recently targeted by two dogs on his farm.
“It was awful to hear Lilly screaming every time the dog took a pluck at her wool,” Mr McMullan said. “I made my way down the field and saw the dogs, with Lilly lying completely helpless.”
The farmer, who is calling for tougher penalties for livestock worrying, said this incident was the fourteenth or fifteenth such attack on his land.
He said he has lost between 10 and 12 sheep, either killed outright by dogs or had to be put down due to the severity of their injuries.
“The monetary cost of veterinary surgeons coming out to the farm and carrying out treatment runs into the thousands of pounds,” he said.
“Then when you factor in the value of the stock lost, at today’s prices you’re talking three, four, five thousand pounds.”
On Friday, Lilly remained under veterinary supervision but faces a high risk of infection as a result of the dog bites.
“The maximum fine the courts can impose on a dog owner is £1,000, and that is very rarely applied,” Mr McMullan added.
“It feels like farmers are helpless and that not enough is being done to support us. The law needs to change if this is ever going to stop.”
Clogher Valley councillor Francis Burton encouraged dog owners to know where their animals are at all times and be stored in a secure place.
She said, “If dogs are left to roam, they can attack other smaller dogs, and indeed, children. There have been people who have been bitten in streets and forests in the past…
“The heartbreak and trauma to farming families when their livestock is attacked is totally devastating, especially when children are part of the farming family care-team for that livestock.”
