Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is an urgency about these guidelines given the dreadful reputation Ireland has as the puppy farm capital of Europe. The conditions on puppy farms are poor and there is a lack of enforcement of regulations. Deputy Clare Daly and I constantly receive calls from individuals, organisations and animal welfare groups about those conditions. I checked the DoneDeal website this morning. It has 2,000 advertisements for the sale of puppies and that does not take into account the number of puppies available in each. We know the appalling conditions on some of the farms. These are all the issues that must be taken on board.

The rescue communities have to pick up the pieces and while they are being funded, it is not sufficient. The puppy farms are a profit-making operation, churning out puppies all the time. We read of the seizures being made by customs officers practically every week. For example, a couple of puppies were seized last week. They puppies have to be rehoused and retrained and the animal welfare groups take all that into account. Having regard to what the Minister of State said in his reply, I hope there will be much better conditions and improved enforcement.

See this speech in context