Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The sheer scale of what was shown in the programme was quite shocking. We have been told that it is difficult to provide figures, given the lack of traceability, but that could also mean that the number is even higher. Many people are concerned by how it took the programme to highlight the problem and that neither the Department nor the board had done enough to introduce measures to prevent it. That is the most worrying part for most people, which is why I asked whether the Department had been aware of the steps that the board stated it had taken and put into the public domain. It is also why I asked for that information to be furnished to us. Was the Department made aware? I am not referring to standard inspections, the four prosecutions and whatever. Rather, I am referring to what appears to be wide-scale animal welfare abuses.