THE DUBLIN Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has called for the removal of 22 sheep from pens outside the Department of Agriculture where a protest by sheep farmers has been continuing for 10 days.
It said it had sent an inspector to the site and found the sheep were being fed and watered but should not be placed in an urban environment like Kildare Street.
"We do not have the legal power to have them removed but if we had, we would do it immediately," said Jimmy Cahill, general manager of DSPCA. He said the society had received "many, many calls" from the public asking what it was doing about the sheep.
Yesterday the Irish Farmers' Association issued a report prepared by Dr Kevin Dodd, the vet it retained to supervise the animals during the protest over a demand for a support payment to sheep farmers.
Dr Dodd said the sheep were in excellent health and had "an air of indifference in the passing people and, in my opinion, are in a good balance with their present arrangements.
"These sheep have been present in the pens for some days now and have clearly become habituated to their present environment and show no observable signs of stress or of interest in passing traffic or people.
"During the time I observed, some ruminated, some nibbled hay, some rested lying down in the normal way, some sipped water and some stood about. At no time did they 'bunch' together or huddle together or show any signs that they were uneasy with the set-up," said the report.
Henry Burns, chairman of the IFA's sheep committee, who accompanied the sheep to the site, said the only endangered species outside Agriculture House were sheep farmers.
The sheep farmers, who have the animals in two pens on each side the front door of Agriculture House, say they will remain there with their animals until they get a commitment of financial aid for the sector from Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith.