Ms Martina Kenny:

I thank the Chairman and the members of the committee for the opportunity to make this presentation. My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue, MLHR, was set up in 2011 by its co-founders, me, Deborah Kenny and Cathy Davey, because we realised there was an urgent need for a dedicated horse rescue in Ireland. MLHR is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming unwanted, neglected and abused equines, pigs, dogs and other animals. We believe all animals deserve the five freedoms, namely, freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury and disease, freedom to express normal behaviour and freedom from fear and distress. We have created a safe haven for our rescued animals on our three farms, where we ensure each and every one of them has a life worth living. MLHR is constantly growing, and the demand for our services increases in line with our growing reputation as one of the best animal welfare organisations in Ireland. We have expanded our operations to include three rescue centres - two in Kildare and one in Cork - run by our team of dedicated farm managers and invaluable volunteers, who have rescued thousands of animals from brutality and cruelty.

Why are we afraid in this country to call out something for exactly what it is? We allow suffering and cruelty to be inflicted by people on horses, dogs and other animals in our society. We must do whatever we can to reduce the number of people of all classes and backgrounds who do this, be that in horse racing, so-called sulky racing, dog-racing or dog-breeding businesses, or by owners of horses and dogs who reside in our cities, whether in privately-owned homes or council-owned properties.

The State seems to be happy to allow animals to be abused, with little or no enforcement of the law in situations where is it glaringly obvious who the perpetrators are. For example, more than two weeks ago, MLHR volunteers had found a dead foal in the canal close to Bluebell in Dublin, one of many drowning incidents of young horses we have had to deal with over the years where a horse is left with no water and slips into the canal. We also had to rescue War Celeste, a horse that no doubt some members will be familiar with, who was found abused knee-high deep in excrement in a disgraceful condition and emaciated. It is glaringly obvious that people are abusing these animals in our society yet they rarely pay the price for their crimes. So much of the wickedness that has lain hidden and protected in society is finally being exposed by brave and honourable people, yet the area of animal welfare remains our blind spot as a nation. When it comes to defenceless horses and dogs, we in MLHR believe the State is not doing enough and must do more. The world has changed and we need to change too. The horses of Ireland are being starved, neglected, beaten and dumped by all sections of our community and we are calling those responsible out for what they are.

We have worked extremely hard over the years to foster positive relationships with An Garda Síochána, county councils and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as these organisations have great powers in the area of animal welfare. We work closely with gardaí all over Dublin and throughout the country to assist in equine seizures and welfare call-outs and we have given a presentation on equine welfare and all relevant legislation to many gardaí, including the graduating class of 2018 from the Garda College in Templemore. We work closely with Dublin City Council and its newly established animal welfare unit, assisting it in the areas of both equine and canine welfare and this relationship is benefiting many animals every day. MLHR takes every equine that is seized and pounded in the Dublin City Council area after their five days, ensuring the animals are not destroyed. This is a great accomplishment and shows how well the two entities work together. MLHR sits on Dublin City Council’s animal welfare oversight committee, as well as on Kilkenny County Council’s animal welfare committee. We would eventually like to see every county council have an animal welfare unit and we would like to see a dedicated Garda animal welfare unit.

We work with both Tús and Nua to provide work placements and we have also hosted groups of inner-city youths for a day on the farm with instruction from our farrier, equine dentist and one of the Dublin city horse carriage drivers that we work with. This has been hugely well received and we plan to continue this work in the future. We work with the Travelling community in many different counties and we hope to continue this work on a greater level. Throughout Covid we did Zoom classes with schools around Ireland and we can see the great interest out there among young people for more knowledge of and interaction with animals.

Education and awareness are key. We want to create an educational space at our centres as we know education will positively assist the mental health of young people as they become adults and that it will help their understanding of animal welfare. We also want to involve adults who experience negative mental health and social skills issues. MLHR is a place where everyone fits in and is welcome; a place where no one judges and where everyone supports each other. Last year alone, MLHR took in 400 animals on top of the hundreds already in our care. We have amazing fosterers who help to ease the burden of numbers on our farms but we are constantly in need of more space, land and funds as we grow and as the number of rescued animals grows.

Last year our running costs were in excess of €400,000, which did not include salaries. We received a small Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine grant of €26,250. In comparison, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA, and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, DSPCA, for example, received €668,500 and €615,000, respectively. Everything else we fundraise and it is a constant struggle to keep up with our huge running costs. We have been a volunteer-run organisation up to recently but we currently employ five staff to help with daily operations. MLHR has proved consistently since its founding in 2011 that it is so much more than what it started out to be. Adaptable and resilient under great pressure, MLHR has become one of the most well-known and highly respected animal welfare organisations in this country. We are trusted by the public because we are unfazed by any obstacles thrown in our way and people know that if they contact us, we will be there for those animals in need.

Actions we believe that are needed to help improve the implementation of the legislation are as follows: enforcement by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; An Garda Síochána; local councils countrywide; and organisations such as MLHR working together. This work should tackle indiscriminate breeding; chipping and passporting; horses on public land; clear signage in troubled areas; prosecutions; and heavy fines. We are saying it out loud and clear: MLHR needs more Government funding. What we get is completely inadequate for the services we provide and the work we do. We need our Government to sit up and take note. These ongoing equine issues are not just going to go away. I thank members for their attention.