Over 70 ewes and lambs were attacked and killed or forced into the sea where they subsequently drowned in the past few days in the Sneem area in Kerry, leaving a local farmer devastated.

Following the latest devastating dog attack, Kerry IFA Chair Kenneth Jones called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to move faster in relation to dog control or said attacks like this will continue to mar rural Ireland.

"This was not the first dog attack this farmer has experienced in recent years.

“The horrific scenes in Kerry today are unfortunately a common sight at this point. A devastating attack like this has huge consequences for a family farm and it will take a long time for this farm to recover,” Kenneth Jones said.

“We have been tirelessly working for dog control laws to be strengthened up, but the Minister has failed to move quickly and we are going to continue to see attacks like these devastate more farm families,” the Kerry IFA Chair said.

It comes as a recent dog attack in Dublin’s Airfield Estate left five sheep and their unborn lambs dead.

The four Jacob ewes, which were due to lamb within two weeks, as well as a ewe lamb, died following the attack which took place on February 28.

Recently, stronger regulations were brought before Government Cabinet, which IFA said it recognised as a step in the right direction, but also said more is needed to be done to not just prevent dog attacks on livestock but bring forward serious consequences for the owners of dogs found attacking livestock.

The IFA is again appealing to all dog owners to be extra vigilant of their dogs and their whereabouts at all times, especially at this time of the year when livestock are going through lambing and calving.