Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives from the Department and the LGMA. Initially, it is shocking to see the statistics on the number of horses that have been euthanised. Thankfully, it is in decline, but it gives an idea of the extent of the problem. There are problems with all sorts of domesticated animals, but unlike dogs or cats, horses are big and one cannot hide them. That said, I am aware that horses have been kept in houses in the middle of towns. It is not an invisible problem and yet the problem is pervasive throughout the country.

I praise the unsung heroes in the animal welfare organisations, which receive funding from the Department and the local authorities, but it is a fraction of the cost to them of delivering the service. I have seen figures for animal welfare organisations. We have some very good ones in County Mayo. Between veterinary bills, even with a discount, and everything else, they are constantly in debt and they resort to all sorts of fundraising. The work they do is a labour of love but I am sure there is a lot of heartbreak in it. If the State had to do the job they do, it would not be able to afford it. We give the animal welfare organisations some money but the problem does not go away.

It has been explained that many cases come to the attention of the authorities, whether it is the Department or local authorities, in the event of there being a danger to the public but underlying that is the very real issue of animal welfare, which is how the animals are being abused and are not treated right to begin with and then we get to the point of them being euthanised. Dialogue with the organisations is required on how we can go about having a meaningful impact. As Deputy Martin Kenny said, we must focus on preventing it rather than dealing with the end result. I accept that funding is an issue for local authorities because the situation is extensive, but it has also been my experience that many of the horses concerned are on land within the control of local authorities. I am not taking from the difficulty of the issue. We could go down the route of chipping the animals but there is a serious cultural issue around horses and how they are kept, regardless of the environment in which they are being kept. I refer to an urban environment where one might question if there was even room for a dog and yet a horse is being kept there. In addition to the heavy workload of local authorities, there must be more enforcement on local authority property where horses, dogs or other animals are kept. That should include horses grazing in parks that are owned by local authorities. People must understand that it is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated, which comes back to enforcement.

Education is one of the biggest elements in terms of getting to the root of it. Aside from us commenting here on the end result, which is where animal welfare intervention is required when things go wrong, we all know that there is a therapeutic value in horses, culturally, for people of a Traveller background. That is a tradition. However, we must marry the reality of looking after an animal with the entitlement to own an animal. There would be a great benefit in involving secondary schools or targeting young people in urban areas who keep horses. A limited number of horses could be held in an area and people could be supervised while looking after them. The young people could be taught animal husbandry and the implications rather than what happens at present because it is like cowboys and Indians at times. It is not acceptable.

In Mayo where I come from there is a horse sanctuary, the North Mayo Horse Sanctuary, which is run by a former councillor, Gerry Ginty, who is very dedicated to horses. He would give his right arm for them. He expends a lot of resources. He has a good team around him. The group rescues horses all the time and it tries to get land to feed them and to look after them. Euthanising them is a last resort. I would welcome an education programme, in particular for Traveller children or young people, which would allow them to direct their energies towards looking after animals without having an animal on a green area or on a football pitch, as Deputy Cahill outlined. People have to coexist and there are certain realities not being expressed in the conversation about what coexistence means and respecting other cultures. It might be worthwhile to have a pilot project with someone like Mr. Ginty who runs a sanctuary to see if some reason can be brought to bear. One would not be entirely excluding access but it would be limited and the rules would be set out for how it would work. Can one imagine living beside the nuisance that is caused? It is crazy that the animals are being treated in the way they are. Animals should not be treated that way. We could be doing more but we need more dialogue. I do not take from the work that is done or the resources that are provided but it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in a more holistic way than just throwing money at animal welfare organisations that are not fit to cope with the volume of work being done. I acknowledge the work done by the Department and the councils. In my area the dog warden gets involved. The work comes under the general heading of animal welfare and everybody gets involved. Something more needs to be done and it must get to the core of the issue, which is the people who own the horses whom we cannot trace but we all know about.