Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I do not know whether the Minister is laughing in jest or in support but the south east is entitled to have a representation made. At least the Minister travelled there and saw it.

Under the previous Administration I was very involved in many animated discussions about the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill and the welfare of greyhounds. I was born and reared on a farm and the welfare of animals was intrinsic to all of us. That applied to the welfare of every animal from the cat, to the cow, sheep and lambs. This Bill provides for 15 months before breeding but I have always maintained that an animal, be it a cow, sheep or horse, breeds when their natural life cycle allows them to do so, after which it becomes a breeding animal. Some animals might never breed and might not be kept for breeding.

A great deal of hysteria crept into this issue on the last occasion. Fundamentally, the former Minister, former Deputy John Gormley, did not understand what he was dealing with. Worse than that, when he attended the meeting of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party, of which I was a member, he pretended to be listening to rural Deputies and to understand. I would not expect a city Minister to understand everything but he pretended to have an understanding. However, when he left the meeting he tore up what had been said. I am not saying he made any commitments because he did not, but he listened intently and pretended to be understanding.

The then Taoiseach chaired many of those meetings and has a huge understanding of and involvement with dog breeding - his brother Deputy Barry Cowen has spoken in this debate - and I was aghast at the folly of what he allowed to be said by the Green Party. I had to take a great deal of heat from it at times. One would think its members were the only people interested in animal welfare. This is anathema to the vast majority of dog breeders in South Tipperary and elsewhere. These activists do not want horse racing or live cattle exports. I do not condone fur farming. I was driven to despair and to resign the whip of my own party.

There is a huge industry around all these dog sports, created by ordinary men and women who are citizens of the country. The Department gave funding to Bord na gCon for a greyhound stadium but for the most part the industry is created by people working in their own spare time and with their own investment. Greyhounds need decent housing and must be carried in proper vehicles. There is an industry around the provision of those. There are veterinary and breeding costs. I believe stud fees are in the region of €3,000 per stud. The industry is going through a traumatic time and I compliment all those involved on keeping the show on the road in such difficult times.

I do not condone the neglect of any animal. I accept that there were difficulties with exports to places such as China. That trade was stopped, and rightly so. However, breeders need an export market for dogs, whether for breeding or otherwise. At the end of life dogs must be looked after and properly cared for. This time last year, in the middle of an economic crisis, we tore ourselves apart for weeks on end. I know we were approaching the silly season but we seemed to be in it for 12 months.

The policy objective of the Bill is to improve the level of welfare in the greyhound industry. While the objective is similar to that of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, the approach taken differs due to the distinct nature of and controls applying to the keeping of greyhounds. The greyhound industry already has a system of self-regulation, which this Bill uses as a starting point. I welcome that. The greyhound industry already registers and identifies all animals so as to ensure the integrity of the racing system. However, this can be readily adapted for welfare purposes. Therefore, the scope of the Bill extends to all greyhounds in the racing and coursing industry and not only to those found on the premises of an establishment registered under the Bill. Greyhounds are defined as all animals entered in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, on the other hand, provides for the unregulated industry of puppy farming, which we totally condemn as any right-minded person would. Puppy farming has no existing system, so that Act started with the registration of premises and applied welfare standards to animals on such premises only.

I thank the Minister and urge him to continue consultations. The previous Minister spoke about consultation but did not consult. He engaged in tokenism and made a joke of consultation. The industry was furious because he did not consult the people he should have consulted. He consulted his own Green Party activists, who tried to claim they were the only people with an interest in animal welfare. That could not be further from the truth. They think they are the guardians of everything connected with the environment and with this issue.

The Bill contains codes of practice for the industry as well as setting out specific welfare standards and the powers to make regulations regarding welfare. It also provides for regulations for the identification of greyhounds and requirements to notify sale or transfer of greyhounds, which is important to allow for traceability and responsibility to attach to owners. There must be traceability and implants or some similar system to ensure it. I thank local authority dog wardens and An Garda Síochána for the work they have done. Previous Deputies spoke about the number of dogs found in horrible conditions and the deaths of so many animals. Very few of these were greyhounds. Farmers' first nurture after their families is of their stock. Sometimes they treat their stock better than their families. I do not mean that in a bad way, but their stock is a priority.

Part 3 of the Bill is concerned with breeding. This restricts the number of times a female greyhound can be bred as there are welfare concerns with greyhounds carrying excessive numbers of litters. This is standard practice and anyone involved in breeding would understand and obey such a restriction. The minimum breeding age will be 15 months. This is considerably higher than the minimum breeding age of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. I have concerns about this measure. The age of 15 months is quite old. I accept that there must be regulation, but I ask the Minister to examine this minimum. The Irish Coursing Club will not be permitted to register litters born to greyhounds under 15 months of age, who will as a consequence not be permitted to race or be used in coursing events. This might be too strict. We have had arguments as to whether the minimum breeding age should be three or six months but 15 months seems high.

Part 3 also provides that establishments with four or more bitches over 15 months of age that have been or are being used for breeding will be registered as a greyhound breeding establishment. I have no problem with that. It is very important. There will be a grace period following the commencement of the Act to allow existing establishments to register. This is a welcome measure. We cannot take a shotgun approach. People need a lead-in time. This Part further provides for procedures where the ICC may refuse or withdraw the registration of a breeding establishment and allows for such decisions to be appealed to the District Court. This is fair. There must be powers, rules and guidelines and they must be enforced. There must also be a right of appeal under any judicial system where people feel regulations are being enforced too vehemently.

Part 4 concerns enforcement and allows for the appointment of welfare officers by local authorities. Dog wardens and animal welfare and veterinary officers are stretched. A similar issue arose in Dublin when an institution in Meath was providing, at a nominal charge, for the removal of horses that were killed or injured. When a veterinary officer was called the gardaí had numbers in their phones to call a certain hunting establishment which removed the dead animal as fast as possible. With the stroke of a pen, the Minister decided to ban this service and it is now undertaken by the local authority, at considerable cost to the local authority. Sometimes we use a sledgehammer to crack a chestnut. We get carried away in trying to enforce laws. Local authorities and the vets associated with them have done a good jobs with dogs, horses and all animals.

Horses have become a huge issue. The market has dried up and there are problems with horses in many areas. I come from a proud horse breeding county. Queen Elizabeth came to Coolmore Stud. We are recognised all over the world for our state-of-the-art industry. We are also recognised throughout Europe for the annual coursing meeting in Clonmel. Coursing is a huge industry and is worth €6 million or €7 million to South Tipperary. The Clonmel event is known throughout Europe. I have been there many times. There is none of the savagery that is often spoken about. Last year, some animal rights activists, who think they are the only people concerned with animal welfare, released the hares from where they were being well looked after and had plenty of space in fenced-in fields. They released them onto the motorway to be trudged over by vehicles and cause accidents. I heard an animal welfare activist being interviewed on the radio and saying this was okay. They felt it better to release the hares to be slaughtered on the motorway than be taken humanely, coursed by muzzled dogs, protected and brought back to their homes. We need balance.

I receive continual e-mails, which I no longer open, from these people who think they have a monopoly of concern for animal welfare. I was born and raised on a farm where there were sheep, cattle and every kind of animal. I am still involved with animals and animal welfare is a priority for me, as for most landowners and stock owners.

I compliment the breeders and owners in Clonmel for sticking with coursing, for giving so much of their time and energy to the industry and for providing an outlet. A large number of voluntary clubs and associations hold dog-racing evenings as fundraisers. Schools, hospices and other causes can no longer get money from the Government. They do valuable fund-raising with nights at the dogs and they sponsor cars and so on.

I also compliment the owners and the voluntary board of Clonmel greyhound track on the effort they are making. They have a state-of-the-art track following significant investment. The track used to suffer from flooding but it was raised using OPW money. However, the owners badly need a decent building for the race nights, for the spectators who travel from a wide area and for themselves. Many jobs will also be created. The owners are a little embarrassed by the stadium because it is out of date, cold and it is not a properly functioning building. They have worked hard but they have had many disappointments and setbacks over the years. I am fully supportive of their application for Government funding because they have raised a great deal of money themselves voluntarily. I am hopeful they will get their due support. They are looking for their own small share from Bord na gCon, similar to other dog tracks and they are not looking for a handout.

Local officers can issue welfare notices. Such notices may require a wide range of actions in the interests of the welfare of greyhounds. These powers are circumscribed by the right of appeal and the need for a search warrant in certain instances. I compliment the dog wardens, the veterinary people and the Garda because when action needs to be taken, it is taken and prosecutions follow. The powers allowed include those for the destruction of greyhounds that are in pain, distress or an acute state of neglect. We all support that 100%. There are related enforcement matters concerning forgery and obstruction. This section also specifies proceedings, penalties and the possibility of fixed payment notices.

I look forward to working with the Minister on this and to the enactment of the legislation. I hope he maintains consultation and shares with the people in the industry who are committed and want to put their time, energy and money where there mouths are. They are also committed to animal welfare.

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