Mr. Paul Geraghty:

I thank the committee for inviting us here this evening to discuss the Department’s role in relation to dog breeding establishments and dog control. I am a principal officer in the community division of the Department of Rural and Community Development. I am glad to be accompanied this evening by my colleague, Ms Catherine Burns, assistant principal officer. Our colleagues from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are also present and will set out their role in a separate statement.

I will describe the Department of Rural and Community Development’s responsibilities regarding dog breeding establishments and dog control. Legislative and policy responsibilities under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 and Control of Dogs Act 1986 transferred to the Department of Rural and Community Development from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in July 2017 when the Department of Rural and Community Development was formed. Since the transfer of these functions, the Department of Rural and Community Development has carried out several reviews of this area of work to try to ensure the legislation is fit for purpose; to seek to make improvements where appropriate; and, importantly, to promote responsible dog ownership. I will talk more about these activities later.

The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 regulates the operation of dog breeding establishments, DBEs. It requires, for example, that local authorities establish and maintain registers of DBEs and prohibits the operation of unregistered DBEs. The Control of Dogs Act 1986 provides for the licensing and control of dogs and also provides for the protection of livestock from worrying by dogs. Operational matters in respect of both Acts are the responsibility of the local authorities and I will cover this a little later in my address. I will set out the key work the Department of Rural and Community Development carries out in the area of dog control. The Department publishes annual statistics on local authority dog related activities. These cover, for example, information on stray and unwanted dogs, dog licences, enforcement actions, and the operation of local authority dog shelters and dog breeding establishments.

The statistics are available on the gov.iewebsite and statistics for 2022 will be published later this year and are being collated at the moment. I can, however, give some examples of the type of information we gathered in 2021.

One area of reporting is the number of dog licences issued in the State. In 2021 201,146 were issued. The annual dog licence and general dog licence are valid for one year while the lifetime of a dog licence is valid for the dog’s lifetime.

On good news, the statistics contain some welcome trends. For example, the number of dogs euthanised in 2021 in local authority pounds was 168down from, for example, 1,674 in 2016. This continues the year-on-year annual trend in the right direction in the decline in the number of dogs being euthanised, down from just over 21,000in 2002.

We also collate information on dog breeding establishments, DBEs. The number of such establishments in 2021 was 245, which includes 92 commercial dog breeding establishments, 83 hunts clubs and 49 commercial boarding kennels. The remainder comprises animal welfare shelters and training kennels.

In respect of these statistics, it is the Department’s intention in 2023 to begin to interrogate the statistics provided by local authorities more rigorously than in previous years to ascertain where more focus could be brought on any local issues or trends that need attention. That is an overview of the Department of Rural and Community Development's work in the area but in order to provide the committee with a full picture of the work carried out on the control of dogs and dog breeding establishments, I will briefly set out the roles of other arms of Government with responsibilities in this area.

The key responsibilities here lie with the local authorities. The most important aspect of work relating to dog control happens on the front line. The local authorities are key in this regard and are responsible for all operational matters to do with dog breeding establishments, including the licensing, monitoring and inspection of those establishments and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments.

Key to this session here is that local authorities are also responsible for the enforcement of certain legislation in this area. For example, under the Control of Dogs Acts local authorities have the power to issue dog licences, appoint dog wardens, provide dog shelters, seize dogs, impose on-the-spot fines and take court proceedings against dog owners, where appropriate. We in the Department of Rural and Community Development co-operate closely with the local authority veterinary service to ensure that we do what we can to support the vets in their work.

We in the Department of Rural and Community Development also have a close working relationship with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and I am glad that we are joined this evening by our colleagues from the animal welfare division. That Department is responsible for the Animal Health and Welfare Act and it oversees regulations around the sale, supply and advertising of pet animals, including dogs. My colleagues from the Department, Mr. Eoin Ryan and Dr. Mary McCarthy, can provide additional detail in this regard.

Recently, together with our Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine colleagues, a working group on the control of dogs was established. Mr. Ryan will expand on this group shortly. This group was formed on foot of a request from the then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, further to recent unfortunate incidents where serious attacks happened and were carried out by dogs who were not under effectual control. The dreadful attack on Alejandro Miszan, aged nine, is a recent example and it is good to see him begin his recovery after a terrible ordeal for him, his family and friends.

On our work to improve DBEs and the conditions in dog dealing establishments, we have a close relationship with both the local authority vets and dog welfare groups, and we became aware of the need to tighten up on the operating standards of DBEs in Ireland. Improvements to the lives of the puppies in these establishments can make for better socialised dogs and therefore more suitable pets.

Back in January 2019, revised guidelines for the operation of DBEs came into effect, further to a public consultation. They now form part of the framework within which local authorities carry out inspections and issue improvement and closure notices, where required. The new guidelines saw a shift in focus towards the welfare of dogs and pups in DBEs, placed emphasis on the need for accurate record keeping by DBEs, and set the level of staff to breeding bitches at a ratio of 1:25. This was a key shift from the original guidelines, which did not stipulate a ratio.

As part of our drive to review and improve legislation in this area, work is ongoing in the Department on a review of the legislation and proposed amendments to both the Dog Breeding Establishments Act and the Control of Dogs Act. On DBEs, we are considering, for example, strengthening the enforcement regime by introducing additional penalties for offences and allowing for fixed payment notices. We are also proposing additional amendments to ensure local authorities can inspect deregistered premises and seize dogs, when warranted, due to welfare and other issues. Under the Control of Dogs Acts we are considering a new provision to allow for dog control notices, that is a notice issued to a dog owner whose dog has been found to be out of control.

As part of our objective to promote responsible dog ownership, we produced and published a consultation report, A review of measures relating to the control of dogs in Ireland, following a public consultation to which more than 1,000 responses were received. As a result of this review, the Department intends to more actively promote a culture of responsible dog ownership in Ireland. This will include supporting information campaigns regarding responsible dog ownership and progressing measures involving primary and secondary legislation.

We also intend to introduce increased penalties for the offence of livestock worrying which continues to be an issue in our rural areas and there have been some very recent cases in the past number of days which we have become aware of. Some 217 instances of livestock worrying were reported to the local authorities in 2021, with 241 reported in 2020. There have been recent very serious and damaging attacks which we are aware of, together with the upset and loss that these attacks can cause to farmers across the country.

All the work we do in this area, the reviews of the legislation, the revised guidelines and the stakeholder consultation, is done with an overall view to the promotion of responsible dog breeding and ownership in Ireland. Dogs bred in DBEs are now more likely to receive individual attention and be socialised properly before going to their homes. At that point, however, responsibility transfers to their owners. We know that dog ownership brings great benefits, physical and social, but it also brings with it a responsibility.

Another part of our Department has responsibility for the Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors - National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, which was launched last November. As part of the communications plan around the strategy, there is the intention to develop and deliver a communication campaign to promote a culture of responsible dog ownership in outdoor recreation. This will complement the work already carried out in this area.

Dogs must be kept under effectual control, in particular around livestock. Dogs should never be left free to roam and pose a threat to the livelihood of our farmers. Each year during lambing season, we in the Department of Community and Rural Development have spearheaded communications campaigns, seeking to inform dog owners of the risks of leaving dogs unattended.

As I mentioned earlier, we are seeking to increase the level of fines for the offence of livestock worrying. We will continue to do our part, along with colleagues in the local authorities, the local authority vets, and in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to consolidate efforts in this area, and to promote the message of responsible dog ownership. The work of the new dog control working group will be key in this regard, and, as I said previously, my colleague, Mr. Eoin Ryan will expand on that in a few minutes. I thank the committee for its attention. My colleagues and I are happy to respond to any questions that it may have.