Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy O'Sullivan who, like her predecessor, Tony Gregory, has been at the forefront in this State in raising issues of animal health and welfare. I salute her. I also acknowledge those present in the Gallery from a multitude of animal welfare groups throughout the State, many of whom have travelled long distances to be with us tonight. They are, by and large, volunteers who do what they do for no reason other than their love of animals. It is their expertise and experience which says that the regulations and legislation in place are not working despite, perhaps, the best intentions of those who introduced them. I am quite sure they have much better things to be doing with their lives than to be here. However, they are here to say that change is needed and that we are not doing enough.

Man's inhumanity to man is often mirrored in our mistreatment of animals. It is a consequence of a society that commodifies animals for human profit. I was fully expecting somebody to say that there are far more important issues out there and ask why are we wasting our time on this. It is illustrative that nobody did so. This indicates that animal welfare is a serious issue, a fact that everybody acknowledges for a couple of reasons. Cruelty to animals is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in society and extends to a mistreatment of other vulnerable groups. It has also been scientifically demonstrated that those who exploit and show gratuitous and wanton cruelty towards animals often end up displaying similar behaviour towards their fellow human beings. We in Independents 4 Change make no apology for raising animal welfare and animal rights issues and we will continue to do that.

As an animal lover and a vegetarian, I very much welcome Deputy O'Sullivan's motion. When a member of a country council ten years ago, I moved the first motion to prohibit the use of wild animals in circuses. It is an awful indictment of the State that this has not been sorted out. This motion is a timely reminder of the cruelty that happens. It is also a very straightforward motion. The intent behind it is to raise the standards of animal welfare and protection in this country, not just for domestic animals but for animals in captivity, in the wild, those bred for sport - even, despicably, for blood sports - those used for experiments or those bred for their fur or their meat. We could be here all night talking about any one aspect of that. There is no end to the cruelty demonstrated but I cannot deal with all of the issues involved.

Let us consider the use of animals in farming and in sport, which, in many ways, could be viewed as legitimate cruelty. People who would be horrified to hear of a gurrier throwing a cat onto a bonfire have no problem with some of the exploitation that goes on in those spheres. I do not say that lightly or to be critical of the people involved but we, as a society, have to step back and consider those issues.

Deputy Fitzmaurice said farmers love their animals. I accept that. Of course farmers love their animals. They are the means to their livelihoods. Did people in Ireland years ago love their children when they sent them to Magdalen laundries because they were pregnant outside marriage or when they slapped them for being bold in school? Society changes and evolves and we have different standards of culture and ways of addressing matters when we learn more. It is not a question of slagging off farmers but we do need to step back and consider how we use animals. I can say it confidently because I am a vegetarian but there is no economic or environmental sense in eating meat. It is interesting that Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, who did not bother to stay, has raised issues about this because he denies climate change. There is no doubt that the number of cattle being raised is a huge contributory factor in the context of climate change and emissions and, as a society, we have to address that.

The case is the same for animals misused in what we call sport. Is it true that horses, when they are gainfully employed in our studs, are treated like royalty? Others said they have a better set up than homeless people. Yes, they do when they are employed productively but when they are not, tough luck. Drug use is part of that issue.

We told the previous Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, that what became the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 was good on paper. We suspected at the time that it would have limitations. Sadly, this has proved to be the case, although the profile of issues of cruelty has been raised. Since the legislation was enacted, we have had several interactions with members of An Garda Síochána who have tried to deal with issues of animal cruelty. In the main, they have responded well but they have not really been given the legislation to equip them to do that effectively.

I would like Deputies to think about what John FitzGerald asked today in a letter to the newspaper. Those who are correctly appalled by stories of animals found dead and starving on the side of the road, cats shot with pellet guns or thrown into fires, dogs found with their ears hacked off and so on also think hare coursing is all right. A hunted fox or a coursed hare feels pain. It does not matter to the animal that the person chasing him has a nice suit and lot of money in his pocket. Is that any different from a death experienced by being thrown on a bonfire in an estate in Dublin? The animals involved do not suffer any less. Without being flippant, I ask Deputies to stand back and consider that double standard. We often hear people express horror at how greyhounds are treated in other countries but we have no problem shipping them abroad. I put it to Deputy Fitzmaurice that if he sells a car to somebody he knows has been guilty of joyriding and killing people, then, as far as I am concerned, he is responsible. The analogy is a good one. By tabling this motion, we wanted to challenge some of those views.

The ISPCA received 16,000 calls last year. That shows how much citizens are engaged in trying to deal with these issues. Only 16 cases were finalised in court and the penalties imposed were ridiculously low. Deputy O'Sullivan dealt with badger culling and so on. I want to deal with badger baiting, which is illegal in this State but which, as we speak here tonight, is happening. It is an absolutely reprehensible, cruel, inhumane activity that involves the invasion of a badger's habitat by trained terriers who drag out the badger. The horror show is usually organised by grown men. I have a picture of one such man here and he is wearing a balaclava and military gear. I would not like to cross him and I am sure our National Parks and Wildlife Services, NPWS, officers, would not like to cross him either.

Generally, they pull out a mother badger that has recently given birth because her instinct is to protect her young and they will get a far better fight out of her as she fights for her life and to protect her cubs. Meanwhile they stand around and place bets on that activity. The "Panorama" programme highlighted what was going on in Ireland, namely, tourism in that type of barbarity, 30 years ago and it is still going on today. There are criminal gangs in the midlands that were arrested for incidents of badger baiting in 2013. In the two years before they were brought to court, those involved managed to polish and bring out an entirely professional operation - on Facebook - tracking badgers by means of a global positioning system, GPS, and a network of betting, and with appalling videos being shown. They came to court in 2015 and received three-month suspended sentences and then went off to hone their badger baiting skills, which they are probably using tonight.

Just looking on Google can give an introduction to their activities. It is a patently illegal activity of which our National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, officers and the Garda are aware and with which they have tried to deal. However, what NPWS officer without a gun or an armoured car will take on some of these thugs? They are not able to deal with that. We need much more support for NPWS officers and for the Garda in dealing with these activities. I do not have time but the fact that some of these dogs are bred to spend their lives participating in these blood sports is the other side of the equation, and that is not to mention puppy farming and all the other barbarity. We will continue to raise these issues. It is clear the legislation is deficient. The efforts of NGOs and people such as those in the Visitors Gallery to highlight these matters is very positive and is something we will try to copy.

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