Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for giving up their time to come before the committee and talk. This is our third session on the issues of microchipping, ear cropping and artificial insemination. I might ask a few questions of the representatives of Dogs Trust Ireland and the ISPCA that follow on from what we have heard from other witnesses. Representatives of Fido, one of the microchip databases, were before the committee last week. They said that they record the colouring, gender and other information of the dogs concerned. My understanding is that it is not mandatory to do so. Fido is doing that but is not obliged to do so. Is that the case or is it mandatory and Fido is the organisation complying with the law?