Mr. Eoin Cullen:

Better enforcement is required. The legislation itself is very good but it is not widely enforced. Gardaí need more education on the legislation and the powers they have as authorised officers. Not enough gardaí realise they are authorised officers who have more power than any of the animal organisations, such as the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA. We need better education for training gardaí. We bring presentations to Garda stations around the country. We give hour-long presentations to all the new recruits in Store Street, Mountjoy and the Bridewell Garda stations. Those presentations include bullet points on the legislation because those gardaí do not have enough knowledge in that regard. Many gardaí are interested, and are becoming more interested, because they see exactly what is going on and recognise the need for them to get involved. Better education for gardaí is important.