Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As my colleague said, we will support this Bill because it is long past time that mink farming is outlawed. It is a cruel and unnecessary practice so we will support the Bill.

I will also raise a serious issue in respect of animal welfare in Cork city. Just last week, a horse was found dead on a road in the city. The day before the horse was found, a number of people contacted different organisations concerned about its treatment and the neglect and abuse it had received. It should have been rescued, but was instead found on a road in the early hours of the morning. This was a shocking way for a horse, which is a beautiful animal, to be treated. People were very upset and it is not fair for any animal to be treated that way. It is not fair to children and people to see this kind of behaviour and it is not fair to the communities in which it happens. I know from my colleagues that areas such as Clondalkin have horse projects that have been very successful in changing the way that animals are treated, in bringing a reduction in the number of animals that are being kept on greens and in reducing the neglect of them.

These groups also teach young people about animals and how to care for horses. As a result, they give a lot of young people who might not be into formal education an opportunity for a different type of education, which is something we need to look at.

I would love to see one of these projects in Cork. It would make a huge difference for these animals but also for young people. It would give them an education and let them see what is involved. However, this is not just for those children and young people. It would also give people in urban areas an opportunity to interact at close quarters with animals that they would normally never, or very rarely, have an opportunity to interact with. They could bring in schools, youth organisations and community groups. There are loads of positive benefits to giving young people such opportunities. That is why I would love to see a project like this in Cork city. To be fair to Cork City Council, and I can be critical of it at times, a number of years ago it tried to do this but unfortunately the planning application was turned down. That is something that should be supported. The Minister might engage with Cork City Council about bringing forward a project like that, not just in Cork but nationally.

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