News Q&A: Farmers appeal to owners to get dogs microchipped

With hundreds of thousands of dogs not microchipped and registered by last Friday’s national deadline, the farmer organisations appealed to owners of the country’s dog population of about 1m to comply with the new mandatory requirement.

IFA sheep chairman John Lynskey said an IFA survey conducted late last year indicated the average cost of a getting a dog microchipped by a vet is €25, ranging from €12 to €30 in the practices surveyed. Some vets include a health check in the cost of the microchipping service and others may offer a discount for a number of dogs.

John Brooks, chairman of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association sheep section, said the microchipping requirement is a timely reminder for all dog owners of the threat their animals pose to sheep flocks.