Heatwave concern over sheep on the Curragh
Sheep drinking from a container provided by Ms O'Neill at the weekend
IT has been claimed that authorities are neglecting sheep on the Curragh during warm weather.
Suzanne O’Neill, who grew up on the Curragh, says that sheep have “no shelter or water troughs”, an assertion that is disputed by the Department of Defence who say they are several troughs around the Plains.
Speaking to the , Ms O’Neill said that she started campaigning for sheep welfare last year after noticing while driving across the Curragh plains that sheep did not appear to have access to water.
She identified the area between the Ballymany roundabout at Exit 12 of the M7 and the Curragh camp as a particular concern, saying sheep have neither access to water nor shade.
She said that although sheep can find shelter in some locations, such as near trees and buildings at the Curragh camp, there are large parts of the Curragh where they are exposed without shelter.
Ms O’Neill said: “It's just bare open plains that they're trying to survive on. And a couple of them are badly injured and were lame. And it just really broke my heart.”
Ms O’Neill sad spoke to Minister Helen McEntee on Sunday about her aims for sheep welfare on the Curragh. According to Ms O’Neill, the Minister “promised to look into” the matter.
The local woman inspected the Curragh just last Saturday and commented: “We walked all around the edges and can 100% confirm there are no troughs anywhere or shade. I brought water for them and will keep filling it.”
Ms O'Neill said that the only shade she could see available to sheep was around road signage.
She said that last year she took it upon herself to bring about 20 liters of water for the sheep but described it as only “a little drop in the ocean” compared to what they needed.
Ms O’Neill said that she contacted both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defence but received no response. The Department of Defence owns the Curragh on behalf of the state.
When contacted by the Kildare Nationalist, a spokesperson for the Department of Defence said the following:
“Veterinarians from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine have previously carried out inspections several times on this matter and are satisfied with the access sheep have to water on the Curragh. There are several troughs around the Curragh that are not particularly visible to passersby, but the animals know where to get water in warm weather.”
The spokesperson also stated that sheep owners “are responsible for the welfare of their animals while grazing them on the Curragh” before adding that members of the public with concerns regarding animal welfare may report them directly to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with contact information available on the Department’s website.
