THE establishment of a working group by two Government departments to deal with the issue of dog control and ownership, has been welcomed this week by farm representatives.

This week, Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue along with Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, announced the setting up of the new working group.

The move follows one of the most horrific ever dog attacks on a sheep flock after Christmas when a North Tipperary farmer had 80 sheep either killed or badly maimed.

Lorrha farmer, Donal O’Donoghue, suffered the losses after roaming dogs attacked his flock on land that he had rented six miles from his home.

The savage attacks prompted calls from farming organisations for far stricter controls and penalties to be brought into law to ensure that dogs be kept under control at all times.

Now Ministers McConalogue and Humphreys have agreed to ‘establish a working group’ that will examine issues such as ‘fines under the Control of Dogs Act’; enforcement at local authority level; the provision of dog wardens; microchipping; as well as promoting responsible dog ownership and licences’.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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