Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I originally asked this question to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine but it was redirected to the Department of the Minister of State, for whatever reason.

Has the Minister of State watched the "Panorama" programme and noted what was displayed? Possibly the chief villain that emerges from that documentary — there are many — is Mr. Raymond Cullivan, owner of Misty Meadow in Cavan, which has hundreds of breeding bitches. Dogs are kept there in tiny cages and are not allowed outside. They are illegally kept in coffin-type whelping boxes with their pups and are unable to move. Unfortunately, this is not just a rogue trader. It is not just an isolated incident. These are the kinds of conditions that exist in industrial-scale puppy farms, where pups are bred non-stop and exported before they should be, even according to the Balai directive. They are not given access to veterinary care and not allowed outside. In some cases, they are simply thrown at the side of the road if they get sick.

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