IFA National Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said such attacks are devastating to farmers.

IFA has continuously called for a centralised data base for all dogs correlating licensing and microchipping to identify the owner of the dog.

Those stolen items are for sale a couple of weeks later at the markets.

Cllr TP O'Reilly says the farming sector in Ireland is "very important"

They are strong enough now to suckle on bottles standing up.

The Irish cattle and sheep association of Ireland is calling on all farmers for their support tomorrow.

'As lambing season approaches we need to prevent marauding dogs from attacking sheep where possible'

Farmers are demanding tougher sanctions on dog owners, who fail to keep them under control.