Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Chair to indulge me a little longer. On ear cropping, Mr. Dowling says people are not allowed show a dog that has cropped ears. Anyone can go on any social media platform and see plenty of dogs with their ears cropped, particularly bulldogs. Would Mr. Dowling advise that we need a public awareness campaign? As he says, the people who are doing this know exactly what they are doing. It is the same with artificial insemination and the need to regulate the stud dogs. We have been told by the Department that there is no requirement to have a database, or any register at all, of people using their dogs for stud. There are people on social media who are prolific in using dogs for artificial insemination. We want regulation there. How important is it, in the view of all of the witnesses, to have that sort of Government-led public awareness campaign to make it socially unacceptable to be out walking a bulldog with cropped ears? It is almost like the way it was with tail docking years ago. Now you do not see it. What is the importance of that? I also ask the witnesses' views on how to tighten up on the stud stuff. That will lead into the DBEs as well but I am asking about the need to regulate the canine fertility clinics, semen collection, stud rights and all of that sort of stuff.