Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Tóibín and the other Deputies who brought forward this important Bill. On a few occasions, I sat in on the committee meetings because I feel passionately and strongly about the mistreatment of dogs. I will declare my ownership of a husky, who was at the groomer's today getting ready for Christmas.

Anybody who owns dogs cherishes them. It is important that we look after them. Deputy Cronin referenced some of the issues and, therefore, I will not do so again. As I said, it is Thursday and we want to get out of here and go home. There are a couple of issues I would like to raise, however. The ratio of dogs is something we need to consider. It was said in committee that the ratio was 1:25. I find it impossible to think that dogs are able to socialise and be settled and cared for in some of these dog breeding establishments with such large numbers. Most animal and dog shelters work on a ratio of 1:6. A ratio of 1:25 is, therefore, quite high.

The committee also recommended that a maximum number of breeding bitches be established. The committee heard that some dog breeding establishments have up to 500 breeding bitches, which does not take into account sires or puppies. Incredibly, there could be up to 1,500 dogs on a premises at any given time. Anybody would find that a staggering number of dogs to be on one premises at any one time. Between staffing pressures and noise, it is impossible to produce a well-socialised, confident puppy from this setting. As these places are profit driven, I can only imagine that animals get the minimum of care and attention. Dog breeding establishments are increasingly using artificial insemination to maximise productivity and produce specific breeds, which have trouble breathing normally. Pugs, bulldogs and so-called designer breed are crosses of dogs that could not naturally mate. A new one on me is a Pomsky, which is a cross between a husky and a Pomeranian. According to veterinarians, these dogs display behavioural and physical issues. A veterinarian who appeared before the committee talked about a number of breeds that should not normally be together and cannot naturally be together. There are certain things happening with breeding and DNA. Things are happening within this dog breeding world that are not natural and should not be done. It can only happen in an unregulated manner. If we do not regulate this tightly, we will get these unscrupulous people whose only goal is profit. They do not care about the dogs because if they did, they would not be engaged in this type of activity.

We also heard how some illegal breeders carry out these practices without veterinary training, which is against the law. As Deputy Tóibín said, however, if we do not have people looking at this situation or regulating these breeders, they are liable to do anything they want. There has been a call for a complete ban on surgical AI and for all other AI services to be fully regulated. The Minister referenced in her speech that she was looking at the committee recommendations closely. That is an important issue. We cannot have this type of artificial insemination and this crossbreeding of dogs, which is unnatural and cruel. It is certainly cruel for the animals.

The inspection regime for dog breeding establishments is inconsistent. In some local authorities, a veterinarian carries out inspections; in others, it is the dog warden. Some local authorities are proactive in inspecting dog breeding establishments but others are not. To ensure we have uniform enforcement of animal welfare laws, inspections should be carried out independently of the local authority that grants the licence and receives the rates. I ask for that to be considered.

The online pet regulations have been in force since 2021, yet there has not been a single enforcement case taken, despite hundreds of complaints being lodged by animal welfare organisations. The committee report calls for preverification of all advertisements so that the contact details of the seller, dog breeding establishment licence number and dog microchip numbers are verified in advance and then traceable back to a central database. This would prevent unscrupulous puppy breeders selling dogs and then disappearing, leaving the purchaser with no comeback if the dog is sick or stolen. Currently, dog legislation falls under three Departments. For us to properly regulate this, it needs to be under one Department and one roof. Three Departments is unwieldy. That needs to be recognised.

As we are coming up to Christmas, we always get advertisements on the television and in the newspapers asking people not to buy animals and dogs as presents. However, the mass production of puppy farm-bred dogs during Covid-19 is now coming home to roost as people return to work. Shelters are swamped with dogs being left in or abandoned. Some of these dogs have behavioural issues as they reach the age of 12 to 18 months. Shelters and dog pounds are footing enormous bills looking after these dogs. While the puppy farms are making record profits, unfortunately, it is the volunteers, charities and people who care about dogs and animals who are left to foot the bill when it goes wrong. There must be accountability for bad breeders. The current and previous Governments have, unfortunately, allowed this unregulated mess to be created. We must take greater control of dog breeding in this country to ensure that we lose the title we hold. Unfortunately, we have the title of the puppy farm capital of Europe. I will finish by saying that no reputable breeder or anybody who cares about dogs or animals has anything to fear from greater regulation. In fact, good people will benefit from good regulation.

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