Dog-owners have been warned by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, that farmers have a legal right to shoot dogs which attack their sheep.
The warning comes as a number of attacks by dogs on sheep have been reported from many parts of the State as the lambing season gets under way.
It is estimated that marauding dogs have killed more than 100 sheep in the Enniskerry area of Co Wicklow and in the Dublin Mountains since late December.
The Irish Farmers' Association warned dog-owners that sheep farmers will hunt down and destroy dogs which attack their sheep. The association has received reports of dog attacks on sheep on over 30 farms throughout the State in the past two months.
Mr Walsh said that each year, particularly at lambing time, dogs that are allowed to run free are a serious menace to sheep. He said that even the unsuspected family pet let loose in the countryside could cause great distress to sheep and lambs.
Mr Walsh said the law provided for severe penalties for negligent dog-owners and added that they could also be liable for damages and costs in a civil action.
"Dogs may be shot by the owner of the animals subjected to attack," Mr Walsh warned. He said that, in addition to the cruelty and distress caused to livestock, the financial loss to farmers, and indeed the economy, could be very considerable.
He appealed to all dog-owners, particularly those living near farmland, to ensure that their dogs were kept under control at all times, and especially at night, so that suffering and death to sheep and lamb flocks could be avoided.
Mr Michael Holmes, chairman of the IFA's national sheep committee, said that if dogs attacked a sheep the blame rested firmly with the irresponsible owners.
He said sheep farmers in Enniskerry had got together with gardai to tackle the severe problem in their area and were seeking the appointment of an additional dog warden in the north Wicklow-south Dublin area.
He also suggested that the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, should introduce a new package of control measures for stray dogs, similar to those introduced last year to control stray horses.