TWO SPRING lambs were beaten to death, bled, skinned and butchered in what a Co Louth farmer called a horrific incident near Drogheda.
Paddy Hoey of Smithstown found the pelts and heads of the lambs last Saturday morning following the incident which he believes took place at about 4am.
Warning other farmers to be on alert for attackers, Mr Hoey said he had heard his sheep bawling at 4am but thought no more of it.
“When I went out in the morning I saw ewes in a paddock where they should not have been, and when I investigated I found the heads, pelts and beside that an iron bar which was used to kill the lambs.”
He said there had to have been a number of people to catch the lambs, and they had moved five fields away from the road to carry out the killing and butchering.
“This was a very cruel job because of the way it was done. The ewes are also very frightened and won’t let anyone near them at all now they got such a fright.”
He said he had no doubt the killings were carried out for the meat as the pelt had been expertly removed from the lambs, which were worth nearly €300.
“Nothing like this has happened here before and it is very upsetting. I gather there were adult sheep slaughtered on a number of farms nearer to Dublin last year but nothing like this,” he said.
Mr Hoey, who has 150 ewes on his 50-acre farm, said gardaí at Drogheda were investigating the incident and were seeking information on a white van seen in the area earlier in the day.