Mr. Tomás Bourke:

I will comment on a number of the points made by members. They question has been asked, what can the committee do? The key to all of this is we do not need to reinvent the wheel to a large extent. Five years ago we commenced a no dogs allowed campaign. To be brutally honest, the only way we can ensure the safety and well-being of our animals on the hills is if dogs are prohibited from being taken on to hills. It does not matter, Deputy Kenny, how many dog wardens we have, we cannot police that. That is why the IFA's position is that all hills should be a no-go area for dogs because hills are frequented by livestock and it cannot be guaranteed those dogs will be retained under effective control when their owners go up hills. That is something simple and straightforward that can be done immediately.

The centralised database has to be the bedrock this is built on but we do not need a lot of new legislation. We have an Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and in that Act, Part 3, section 12 that deals with animal welfare clearly sets out what the criteria and sanctions are if someone is found to impact on the health and welfare of a protected species. Dogs and sheep are protected animals. We have a situation where if a farmer is found to be non-compliant with that, he or she is prohibited from owning animals in the future. We need an amendment to this Act to recognise that the dog owner is no longer allowed to own a dog if he or she has been found to be non-compliant with responsibilities and that recognises the trauma and severity of the welfare and psychological impact on the farmer their dog has caused. We do not need to reinvent the wheel but to amend what we already have.