Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan for raising this issue. The regulation of dog breeding establishments is a matter for local authorities in accordance with the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010. Each local authority must maintain for public inspection a register of dog breeding establishments in its functional area. This must include the name and address of the applicant seeking entry onto the register, the address of the dog breeding establishment and the maximum number of breeding bitches that may be kept at the dog breeding establishment or premises.

The Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010 provides a robust regulatory framework for, inter alia, the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local authorities and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments. A joint inspection regime of dog breeding establishments, involving the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the local authority veterinary service was inaugurated last year for the purpose of inspection and follow-up action. The discovery of individual problematic dog breeding establishments, and the taking of action by An Garda Síochána, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and local authorities in an integrated manner in the most serious cases is a matter for the enforcement authorities concerned.

Guidelines on welfare standards for dog breeding establishments, published on the commencement of the Dog Breeding Establishment Act in January 2012, are available on the Department’s website and set out the required standards for such establishments. The current guidelines were announced by the then Minister on 21 December 2011, as provided for under section 15 of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, with the aim that they would help increase awareness regarding welfare standards and would aid good practice in dog breeding throughout the country. The guidelines became effective from 1 January 2012 following enactment of the legislation. Local authorities are responsible for monitoring compliance with these standards and are empowered to issue improvement notices where appropriate. A local authority may also issue a closure notice if a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare.

As the Deputy stated, however, there is general consensus that the scope of the existing guidelines needs to be enhanced as they are quite benign and represent a minimal standard that is probably no longer acceptable, particularly in view of recent issues that have arisen regarding some of the establishments. The rules and regulations in other countries are more rigid than the current guidelines. While many countries have primary legislation in respect of commercial breeding dogs only, the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010 covers a variety of situations, with breeding and non-breeding scenarios captured by the same piece of legislation.

Consequently, in late 2015, following engagement between the local authority veterinary service and the then Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, it was agreed with the County and City Management Association, CCMA, to begin a process of review of the guidelines in January 2016. The work undertaken to date has been to produce a first draft revision of the guidelines, which is currently under consideration in the Department. I expect that a revision to the guidelines will be available to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for consideration very shortly.

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