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Neighbours sheep always in my garden??

vwcorrado

Hi all

We have had our neighbours sheep in the garden for the past few months. At least two to three times a week. We did text our neighbour and tell him the first time and then asked him face to face. He doesn't even acknowledge that they are in or even say sorry.

He didn't care and basically shouted back at me. They are coming in from next door and they enter that land as they have no gate. We have a front wall and gate (always closed) and there's a ditch between us and another neighbour.

Surly I don't have to put a sheep fence up to keep his sheep out as he can't keep them in.

Especially during the summer now and the kids are playing, theres sheep s*** everywhere.

What can I do now?

Thanks

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[Deleted User]

Put up a fence to keep them out.

MakersMark

Didn't take longfor the victim blaming post I see.

Your neighbour sounds like the typical self entitled old school farmer that's fortunately on the way out.

I'd be chasing them out on the road every time.

Call the Guards the next time to report loose livestock.

irishgeo

Reporting him to the regional veterinary office. As part of the rules of having a flock/herd number is that his land is fenced properly to stop disease.

The Regional Veterinary Office makes an assessment before issuing a flock or herd number. In order to minimise disease and maximise animal health, herds and flocks in the application must meet the following criteria:

perimeter fencing should be stock-proof at a minimum and also prevent direct contact between stock on adjoining holdings

xhomelezz

Eat them. Or send them to me, need to fill up the freezer.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410493#Comment_119410493

I live in the countryside. A good fence keeps your stock in and your neighbours stock out. A ditch on its own doesn’t always work. A good chain link or sheep wire fence is a good investment for peace of mind and peace with neighbours.

whelan2

Handier just to stockproof your side of the hedge.

Packrat

Speak to him once more before pressing the nuclear button and contacting DVO.

Make it clear that you'd rather not cause problems for him by doing this but that you will if he doesn't rectify it.

Give him one week to fence them out.

You yourself will be liable for any accident they cause if you put them on the road.

Finally, theft is a crime and some non-farmers and cattle farmers seem to think its fine to steal/eat someone else's trespassing sheep. Its not.

patsy_mccabe

Sheep are almost impossible to keep out. I've often spent time trying to find out where they broke out (not my sheep) and you'd be amazed where they can get in. Put up a proper fence yourself and be done with it.

From a legal point of view, the farmer is responsible for fencing in his livestock, unless there is a an agreement in place as a condition of sale, attached to the site of the house when sold initially.

whelan2

The farmer is obviously a dick, who thinks it's ok to have his stock roaming on other peoples property. I wouldn't bother communicating with him as you'd only be annoying yourself. Just fix it up so they can't get in

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410530#Comment_119410530

Not their fault if the sheep go on the road because their gates are open though.

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410541#Comment_119410541

Not at all. Sheep aren't deer, most will stop at a 2'6 wire fence plus one or two barbed over it. Ive had a few jumpers who will jump this but they're very rare and always Swale type ewes.

mikeecho

Get a loan of a large dog.

Make sure the dog has enough rope to freely travel to the boundary, but not cross it .

Your neighbor might adjust his thinking.

pointer28

It's his responsibility to keep his stock in, it's not yours to keep them out.

Get a nice fat quote from a landscaper to repair any damage to your garden and see how smart he is.

vwcorrado

Thanks for the replies. The neighbour in question lives down the road and the neighbour beside me doesn't have the sheep but he doesn't have a gate so they are coming in his driveway and then crossing the ditch to me.

I'm probably going to have to go down the route of getting a fence but it's crazy to have to put one between me and my good neighbour who doesn't own animals!. I also don't like the look of sheep wire all along a long border

Thanks.

tooka

go to a solicitor and pay 150 ish for a letter to the farmer warning of taking a claim for damage caused by the sheep

that will end it.

irishgeo

The farmer is in a scheme probably getting money for keeping them. A few complaints to the dept of agriculture that he is breaking the rules of the scheme with photo evidence should prompt in investigation.

Gant21

Hitch on the 10x5 onto the berlingo and round up the sheep and sell them. They are in your property now.

Gamergurll

We are in a similar situation but we are renting and our landlord doesn't want us to say anything to fall out with the farmer whom he knows 🙄

Our land is only partially fenced, and the open part leads onto public land which the farmer uses for his sheep, they are always wandering up our garden is destroyed and sometimes I can't let the kids out. One got caught in some broken barbed wire a few doors up and cut its self to death it was brutal there was blood all over the road, the farmer didn't even seem too bothered,

Another neighbour has a husky which sometimes he leaves loose, he's been down in the land chasing the sheep it's horrible to watch and he managed to catch a lamb recently. The sheep are always up and down the road and not one of the neighbours want to say boo to this guy countryside mentality is shocking, yes we haven't said anything but he will go straight back to the landlord. Was never sure who to contact because the guards said it was nothing to do with them but I've had it to the teeth with them

Still stihl waters 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410679#Comment_119410679

I've done this in a similar situation, loaded them up and dropped them back to his yard over 10 miles away, I did it 4 or 5 times before he got sick of me, I had a big smile every time I dropped them back telling him his sheep wandered into my place again, he keeps a few quiet cows next to me now with never a bother

Cunce like this need to be handled quickly op, he doesn't care so just report him to the department, make a nuisance of yourself and they'll act, that or get a good dog on a long lead to keep them out

Wildly Boaring

Solicitors letter with a quote attached from landscaper to fix. Solicitor letter will include warning that they will write to DVO on next incident.

Normally I'd be one for talking to the farmer first. You've done that. He's ignored you (and been agressive).

paddysdream

Had something similar here this year .Was getting calls maybe two or three times a day regarding sheep on the road .They were not mine but as I had a good number of them grazing fields beside where they were getting out I was plagued with calls .

The sheep were on the road numerous times a day and grazing flowerbeds and lawns in about half a dozen houses .They (maybe 10 ewes and their lambs ) were being kept in a large garden which was totally bare .

In the end the Garda came and as far as I know the Dept. or some other body removed the sheep .The owners would not be unused to the boys in blue calling though .

From a practical point of view putting up a fence makes sense but no way would I /should you do it .its hardly you who should be paying for keeping out the neighbours stock .That attitude seems to pop up on this forum from time to time though .Know that around here there wouldn't be any sympathy for a farmer whose stock were out regularly .Cattle or sheep can get out on even the best kept farms but for it to happen on a regular basis is unacceptable .

And before anyone comes along and blames "blow ins " for all this with their fancy new houses in the countryside please have a look at your local Petty Sessions (local court sitting ) from 100 plus years ago .Farmer after farmer fined for allowing stock on the road .Eg .Constable X saw paddysdream cow and calf on the road at Y on such and such a day .Result - fine .Farmer B says paddysdream 4 cows and six sheep trespassed on his meadow at A on such and such a date .Result - fine .

Have read through years and years of our local ones and almost each and every farm around here (including both my great grandfathers ) were fined at some stage .

Still stihl waters 3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410710#Comment_119410710

Not to mention the fact most houses built by blow ins are sites sold off by farmers in the boom for big money, let's not say anything about that tho

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410513#Comment_119410513

Depends on the neighbour but this is the route I would take. You may end up with larger problems depending on the type of person he is.

NIMAN

Not sure why the op is being advised to spend X amount of money fencing off their property?

Surely it's the responsibility of the sheep owner to ensure they don't get off their land, why should an affected person have to cough up money for a fence, which won't be cheap?

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410762#Comment_119410762

Well you'll find that plenty of houses were built before the 2000s as well.

Newest blow ins just down the road here bought a house parts of which are well over 200 years old (It looks like it was extended over the years and old maps show that too). Another one up the road was bought about 10 years ago. That was some kind of early "council house" from what I can tell. Would have been originally a two room cottage. It would be about 100 years old. More blow ins in a similar one about a mile away in another direction but that seems more modern as in maybe 70 years old. And then the worst set of blow-ins from a nuisance perspective did buy a site and build, but that was over 40 years ago. Planning must not have been automatic back then either because my father remembers that man coming into the area and says the man said he must have had some connections as he bought a small field for agricultural value confident that he would get planning. (As in, my father gives the impression that it would have been a little unusual even back then)

Planning permission was hard got in these parts since the 1990's. So I can't think of any sites that were sold to blow-ins from that time. I gather it is only an old trope thrown out. Maybe in some areas it was less strict.

Edit: I tell a lie. A family not too far from me did sell a site in the 2000s. They would have had an old labourers cottage and about 10 acres. One of the sons (who would have been in his 40s at the time) got permission in his own name and allowed someone else to build the house. They wouldn't be wealthy people by any stretch of the imagination though. I'd have no idea what the person paid him for the land. That son lives in the old cottage still.

Gant21

That farmer may be in organic farming and over stocked. Hasn’t the grass himself so let the thieves fend for themselves.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410841#Comment_119410841

There are sometimes situations in life where you can be right or you can be happy. It's grand to get the law, solicitors, department involved when it's not your home or property a couple of hundred yards from a guy you may be making an enemy for life out of. Right and wrong often have fcuk all to do with these situations.

HazeDoll

I had something similar here except it was cows breaking in. I used to have to drive off to work in the morning knowing there were cows behind the house wreaking havoc.

I get that you're unwilling to explore the more drastic options suggested here. After all, you have to keep living there when the dust settles.

I tried politely and firmly telling him that this needed to be sorted but he didn't even pretend to be concerned. I went down the route of having a quiet word with a guard. The guard rang him there in front of me. Listened to the farmer talking shite and kept coming back to saying "Put an end to it so, fix the fences. I'm going to tell her now that you have said you'll be out to fix them tomorrow morning. She's very annoyed, if she starts adding up the cost of the damage she'll be on to a solicitor and you'll regret not spending a few quid on fencing."

It worked, for a while at least.

paddysdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410870#Comment_119410870

And sometimes you just have to man up and do the right thing regardless .

In my situation the " farmers " involved are be people whose reputation ìs unsavory to say the least. Let's just say they are people who fit the description of " well known to the Gardai ".

Every situation is different and no one approach is always correct . Without knowing all the ins and outs we can only speculate.

Do know that if it were me I would be doing something at this stage .

Furze99

Bad fences make bad neighbours, just fence your property. That's what people do.