'Over 50 dead' Longford County Council's 'sincere sympathy' for farmers after sheep kills

Longford County Council has expressed its 'sincere sympathy' to the farmers and landowners who suffered losses after a series of sheep kills by vicious St Bernard dogs last week, which led to one farmer losing nearly all of his flock and over 50 sheep.

Gardaí are investigating two sheep kills on farms in the Clonart area and a third 'devastating' one on the outskirts of Longford town where a significant number of sheep were either killed, injured or are missing.

Longford Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) sheep chair Joe Esler described the third 'devastating' attack on Friday, March 13 as being a sight of 'carnage in the field' for the impacted farmer.

The attack led to 21 out of the 27 ewes being killed with a number of other ewes euthanised on compassionate grounds and up to 30 lambs were also mauled and killed during the frenzied attack.

Gardaí descended on the farms in the Clonart area of Longford following the first two attacks on Thursday, March 12 where several sheep were killed.

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It is understood the farmer on the second farm decided the best thing to do was to phone the local dog warden and two St Bernard dogs were brought to a local dog pound on the same day.

Longford Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) sheep chairperson Joe Esler said the dogs managed to escape from the dog pound the following morning, Friday, March 13 and ran onto a farm on the outskirts of Longford town where '34 lambs were killed, injured or are missing and 21 ewes were killed'.

He said the injured sheep also had to be euthanased and it was unclear about how the dogs escaped, but he agreed questions needed to be asked how that happened.

Longford County Council said they needed time to respond when contacted last Monday but today they have issued a response and expressed their regret and 'sympathy'.

A local authority spokeswoman said, "Longford County Council extends its sincere sympathy to the farmers and landowners who suffered severe losses because of attacks on sheep by two St Bernard dogs.

"Lambing season is a high-risk time for sheep flocks, and these incidents have caused significant distress and financial damage.

"The Council’s Dog Control Service, with the assistance of An Garda Siochana, seized two St Bernard dogs following sheep-worrying incidents on two farms.

"The dogs were brought to the Council’s pound but escaped from their enclosure.

"The Council is looking in to how this may have happened. Another attack was reported on a third farm to which the Dog Control Service responded. "

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The spokeswoman said Longford County Council can confirm that the dogs involved in the serious attacks on the sheep are now deceased.

"The Council again reminds all dog owners that they must always keep their animals under control. Dogs should be on a lead when out walking, and secure fencing is essential at home," she added.

On Monday, Mr Esler said while the first two attacks in the Clonart area were sad, they were not nearly as bad as the 'devastating' third case on the outskirts of the county town, which he said was 'avoidable'.

"The first two were (on the farms of) two neighbours, they had some killed and some injured and they were scattered.
"As bad as that was they were able to cope with it a little bit."

"The dogs were still there and the Dog Warden came out and seized the two dogs.

"These people (the owners) live quite closely to the dog owners so they are very reluctant to get involved."

Mr Esler said the dogs then subsequently escaped from the pound under what is believed to be 'some sort of suspicious circumstances' last Friday morning, March 13.

"They went the short distance then and they went into the third farmer, who has a non residential farm as well and there was approximately 34 lambs killed, injured or missing and 21 ewes killed with a further five or six still missing or injured."

Mr Esler said the third farmer's land borders on to the Camlin and the sheep ran into the 'water and everything'.

"He was alerted by a neighbour phoning him and saying, 'You have a sheep on the road and the sheep is injured'.

"He thought it was after being hit by a car and he rushed over and he got the sheep in off the road and then he saw the carnage in the field.

"There was carcasses everywhere and the two St Bernard dogs were there again.

"He had to ring for help and a man came and shot one of the dogs and injured the second one who got away.

Mr Esler said a search took place and the following morning investigating gardaí recovered the second dog, who was injured but still alive.

He stated the Longford Dog Warden then took possession of the animal who was euthanised.

"The owner wasn't cooperating so the Dog Warden couldn't put the dogs down immediately, they had to go a legal way about it. "

Mr Esler stated the 'biggest discussion' in the aftermath of the killing of around 50 sheep is 'it was avoidable' in his opinion.