Farm animals in Northern Ireland worth an estimated £218,000 were severely injured or killed in dog attacks in 2024.
The new figures, published by insurer NFU Mutual, shows that this amount marks an increase of 48% in the cost of dog attacks on livestock compared to the previous year (£147,000).
This contrasts the UK trend which saw almost £1.8 million of livestock injured or killed in these incidents, down 26% compared to 2023.
Dog attacks
The data comes as an NFU Mutual survey of 1,136 dog owners found 57% let their dogs off lead in the countryside but only 40% admitted their pet always comes back when recalled.
43% of owners believed their dog was capable of causing the death or injury of livestock, up 11% compared to the previous year’s survey.
If present at an attack, just over half of the owners said they would intervene to stop it and 20% would tell a local farmer.
Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual’s rural affairs specialist, said that it is worrying to see the estimated cost of livestock worrying rise in Northern Ireland last year.
“Farmers are living in fear of repeat attacks, which cause horrific suffering to livestock and can traumatise all involved in dealing with the aftermath.
“Anecdotally, we’ve heard of many incidents where dogs have injured and killed sheep and the owner is powerless to stop it or is nowhere to be seen,” she said.
“Ignorance isn’t bliss when it comes to dog attacks on livestock; regardless of size, breed or temperament, all dogs are capable of chasing, injuring and killing farm animals.
“It is vital dog owners act responsibly and keep their pets on leads wherever livestock may be nearby to prevent these needless attacks.
“It is crucial people accept responsibility for their dog if there is an incident and report it, to a local farmer and the police, so that any injured animals are not left suffering in pain,” Binns added.
Farmer
Portadown farmer Nigel Rainey and his four sons were left traumatised when they found the aftermath of a vicious dog attack on their flock.
They were checking their stock when they discovered a dog had attacked heavily pregnant sheep leaving five dead and others injured.
The remainder of the flock were stressed and in danger of losing their lambs from being chased round the field.
The attack came at the worst possible time for the farm. Lambing was already underway so the farmer and his family were already fully stretched looking after the new born lambs and their mothers.
“The threat of dogs attacking the sheep during lambing is our worst nightmare,” Nigel said.
“It was very distressing for me to come into the field and see the dead and injured sheep – but it was worse for our four children who were with me doing the rounds.
“The sheep were our second batch due to lamb and were on winter grazing away from the farm.
“As soon as we got in the field, we realised there was something badly wrong.
The sheep were split into two groups, huddled in corners of the field. Then we found injured sheep and then two dead ewes which had been chased into a ditch where they drowned,” the farmer said.
One of the dead sheep was Nigel’s 14-year-old son’s own pedigree Texel ewe which he bought as his introduction to farming.
“There was no sign of the dog – it must have got loose from a house or been allowed to roam in the night and attacked the sheep when no-one was around.
“Taking into account our time sorting out the sheep after the attack, extra feed, aborted lambs and the impact on our breeding programme, the cost to the farm runs into several thousand pounds.
“We don’t have a big flock, so losing five ewes and their lambs together with four more aborted lambs has had a serious impact on our breeding programme,” Nigel said.
Dog owners
As many dog owners may be planning to visit the countryside at a time when sheep and lambs are at their most vulnerable, NFU Mutual has issued the following guidance:
- Keep dogs on a lead when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept but let go of the lead if chased by cattle;
- Be aware that all dogs, regardless of size, breed, and temperament, can cause the distress, injury and death of farm animals;
- Report attacks by dogs to the police or local farmers;
- Never let dogs loose unsupervised in gardens near livestock fields – many attacks are caused by dogs which escape and attack sheep grazing nearby.
