A Leitrim IFA representative is calling for tighter controls on dog ownership.
The comments come following a spate of sheep kill incidents, with the latest attack in Tipperary resulting in the loss of 70 sheep.
The IFA are requesting an emergency meeting with the Ministers responsible for Rural Affairs, Agriculture and Local Government to address the issue.
IFA sheep chairman, Kevin Comiskey, says that enforcement of regulations and DNA tracing will help stem the rise in attacks
"Microchipping, first of all, licensing, and linking the license then to the responsible owner on a single national database and, most importantly in my mind, the enforcement. If you don't have enforcement, it falls at the first fence. We're DNA'ing the sheep and the cattle for traceability, so why not move in the same direction for dogs when the microchip is there".
