Ireland imported 367,936 sheep last year. The figure has been confirmed by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue. This was after Deputy Jackie Cahill requested a breakdown of lambs imported into Ireland by country of origin.
The DAFM utilises the TRACES system to record sheep movements in terms of both imports and exports for the purposes of slaughter, breeding and fattening.
Minister McConalogue said that, “Traditionally, most live sheep imported into Ireland have come from the UK, including Northern Ireland. In 2021, a total of 367,936 sheep were imported. My department does not collect or collate live sheep imports on a weekly basis.”
The minister also recently expressed his commitment to working to ensure that sheep-worrying by dogs becomes a thing of the past. Latest figures compiled by local authorities indicate that were 240 incidences of livestock worrying in 2020.
Minister McConalogue added that sheep worrying causes “immense and unnecessary” stress for farmers and serious animal welfare issues for sheep and newborn lambs.
Reports suggest that dog attacks result in the death of, or serious injury, of some 4,000 sheep every year.
LSL News.