Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There will be some comfort taken from the fact that the review has not been shelved. That was a genuine concern. It is precisely because there is not a robust regulatory regime in existence that the review of the guidelines is imminently necessary. There are 73 registered puppy farms in Ireland with at least 30,000 dogs being produced every year. That is 410 dogs per misnamed puppy farm - these are not farms but industrial scale dog breeding establishments.

The comparative figure in Britain is approximately 78 per farm. This is a seriously profitable concern. Many illegal farms exist too. Welfare organisations have said that some farms have more than 500 breeding dogs. The DSPCA maintains that the number should be limited to ten or fewer.

We have been identified as Europe's puppy farm capital. This is certainly something we do not want. Last August, the BBC broadcast a documentary that exposed the puppy farm industry, especially in Cavan. It highlighted the lack of enforcement by Cavan County Council. It is important that the review be completed and our standards updated because they are certainly not fit for purpose at present.

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