Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

The Dog Breeding Establishment Bill 2009 is, as Deputies have rightly said, primarily focussed on addressing and regulating the breeding of approximately 90,000 puppies per annum, approximately half of which are exported, mainly to the UK in a trade that is worth €29 million. It definitely needs regulation. On many occasions in this House we have called for regulation in different quarters having perhaps learned too little too late. However, this area has been left without regulation for a long time.

It is not a Green Party Bill as such, as some would try to insinuate. It is a legacy from the time of the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche. It is the implementation of the recommendations of a working group which need to be put into legislation. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, was initially informed it could happen through the Control of Dogs Act. Subsequently it proved not to be possible to use that Act to address the working group's recommendations and the advice was that it needed separate legislation. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, was landed with this legacy, one might say, but he is not one to shirk his responsibilities and it needs to be implemented. It needs to include animal shelters and other areas where there are large numbers of dogs, simply because by not doing so it would create loopholes which would put us in a worse situation of having gone through all the trouble of introducing the legislation and then needing to revisit it if loopholes are found. Unfortunately for those who have an opposite view, there is not much alternative. However, some amendments are possible and that is where the Minister is trying to address those concerns and build consensus on the matter, given the legacy he has had to deal with.

I know many greyhound owners. Balbriggan is a town of greyhound breeding going back over many years. One owner asked me today what all the fuss was about. There is not one greyhound breeder in my town who will be affected by this Bill. They are all in the business of having one, two or three breeding dogs at the most and that is the case for most greyhound breeders. All the animal charities support the Bill. They would have considerably more dogs and less money, given the veterinary fees they need to meet. I hope the issue can be depoliticised. Dogs and their welfare should be beyond the kind of sniping that takes place at a party political level. It is essentially about trying to regulate an area that has been regulated in other countries. We are learning from their mistakes and I hope we can have good legislation as a result, having listened to all sides in the meantime.

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