A south Armagh family had a number of sheep killed in a second dog attack in the space of twelve months.
In a similar incident, an entire flock was almost wiped out just a couple of miles away.
The incidents happened on farmland near Creggan earlier this week.
And councillor Terry Hearty has urged dog owners to keep their pets under control.
“This is the second attack on this family’s flock of sheep,” explained cllr Hearty.
“Last year they had a lot of their flock killed or injured. The flock was attacked this week again and had it not been for a neighbour who alerted the family to the attack the same would have happened again.
“Fortunately they only lost a small amount of their flock. Another neighbour two miles away almost had their flock wiped out.”
He added: “Some of these farmers are being forced out of sheep farming which has been in families for generations and find themselves in these dreadful situations because of careless dog owners.
“Lambing season has just finished. It is vitally important that people make sure they know where their dogs are at all times.
“If you aren’t at home with them, they need to be kept secured. It’s no good seeing them in the mornings or evenings, you need to be sure of where they are at all times because they can do a huge amount of damage in a relatively short time.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is, especially at this time of year.
“If allowed to roam the countryside they can cause total devastation to flocks. Sheep kills like this threaten a friend or neighbour’s livelihood, causes carnage and huge distress to the livestock.”
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