Dog attack: County Armagh sheep farmer doubts future after dog attack

A County Armagh sheep farmer has said he may give up his flock after 28 of his lambs were killed in a dog attack.

George Carvill, from Middletown, said it was a "terrible experience" for him and his teenage son Frank.

From April 2017 to September 2023, there were 738 instances of livestock worrying, according to the latest Stormont figures.

Insurers NFU Mutual said farm animals worth £147,000 were injured or killed by dogs last year.

In 2022, livestock attacks were valued at £165,000.

Mr Carvill said he discovered the attack when he "met a lamb lying dead at the gate" last December.

In his field, there were more dead animals and he told BBC News NI: "We knew straight away that this was a dog attack."

"There were some of them pushed into the river and drowned," he added.

The farmer said his family had used the 50-acre land for more than half a century and it was their first dog attack since 1983.

"There are a lot more dogs around now in Middletown," he told Good Morning Ulster on Monday.

"It seems that now people maybe aren't thinking - they let a dog out in the evening for a run thinking that the dog is doing no harm.

"But if you're not being responsible with your dog, you don't know where it is, and this is the kind of thing that can happen."

Provided by councils and collated by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

In all, 13 of George's lambs - some with facial injuries - survived the attack by jumping into the next field.

"We brought them up to the yard and it was two days before they started to feed, they were in total shock."

George said the attack had "a huge impact" financially.

"Going forward, I don't know if we are going to be able to stay in the sheep business," he added.

County Antrim sheep farmer, Robin McMurtry, 50, lost two sheep in a dog attack in September 2022.

The dogs were later traced and put down, he said.

"A dog can jump fences, slip in under a gate," he said.

"And if a dog gets in among sheep, there's nothing you can do.

"There's always that situation that if you hear a dog barking at night, you're thinking 'is that somebody's pet or is that something that's chasing through a field?'

"At the end of the day, you're trying to make a living. It's very tough making a living off sheep," he added.

Martin Malone, from NFU Mutual, said they were urging all dog owners to be responsible for their pet and "keep them on a lead when walked anywhere near livestock".

The company said it surveyed more than 1,100 dog owners and found 68% let their dog off the lead in the countryside last year - compared to 64% in 2022.

"Despite the cost fall, the doubling in the number of dog attacks on livestock in Northern Ireland over the past two years is incredibly alarming for the country's farmers, especially as the 2024 lambing season gets under way and pregnant ewes and newborn lambs are vulnerable," Mr Malone said.

He said some farmers fear repeat attacks, which can "traumatise" all those dealing with the attack's aftermath.

"All dogs are capable of chasing, attacking and killing farm animals, regardless of breed, size or temperament," Mr Malone added.