Anton McNulty
SHEEP farmers have been asked to desist from laying poison to kill foxes during the lambing season, as the toxins have killed dogs, as well as other wild animals.
Last week, Killawalla resident Hertha Schaer told The Mayo News that her Border Collie was left violently ill and almost died when she came in contact with a poison, believed to be Trodax, which is supposed to be used to dose sheep for liver fluke.
Hertha, who has over a dozen sheep of her own, explained that she was walking her dog on her land in Killawalla when the dog picked up a dead lamb which was covered with the poison.
“My dog brought a dead lamb to me and got very sick and was vomiting and within six hours was getting cramps, shivering and had a high temperature. There is no antidote against this and you have to act immediately to help the heart.
I have a veterinary education myself and had equipment at home which lowered the blood pressure.
“The amount of poison she ingested was not enough to kill her and she is getting better, but I know of two cocker spaniels in Louisburgh and a Labrador in Newport that have died because they have eaten the poison. Just 1ml of Trodax is enough to kill a Labrador,” she said.
Under the Animal By-Product Regulations it is lawful to lay out certain poisons on other meat baits provided that it is the intention to kill a fox, but it is illegal to use dead livestock as bait.
Hertha said she did not know how the dead lamb got onto her land but said the practice was illegal and called for it to be stopped.
She explained that she once found a dead sheep used as bait and sent the liver to a lab in Germany to be tested. The results showed it contained strychnine, which is a banned substance.
Hertha does not accept that laying the poison is a necessary way of dealing with foxes during the lambing season.
She said she has contacted the Animal Welfare section of the Department of Agriculture in Davitt House but says it turns a blind eye to her concerns.
“I am very angry with Davitt House’s lack of response to the situation.
This is cruel and illegal. Davitt House’s duty is to animal welfare and it should take action on this.
It always turns a blind eye to this sort of thing and doesn’t seem to care.
I have also spoken to Teagasc on this, and I want the organisation to educate the farmers about what they are doing and tell them it is not the way to do things,” she said.
Martin Gavin, the Chairman of Mayo IFA said he did not use poison himself but said that some sheep farmers, particularly in hill areas, do lay poison during lambing season to control foxes.
However, he acknowledged that there were guidelines which had to be followed, such as removing baits during daylight hours to ensure other wildlife species are not endangered. While farmers had to protect their sheep he would appeal to them to ensure that other animals are not in danger.
