Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by wishing our colleague Deputy Jennifer Whitmore a speedy recovery. We look forward to welcoming her back to the House. I read this morning that she was taken to hospital. All of us on these benches wish her a speedy recovery.

Aréir, thuairiscigh "RTÉ Investigates" an mí-úsáid uafásach, an cruálacht agus an drochíde capall ar an seamlas amháin atá againn atá ceadaithe sa Stát seo. Teastaíonn gníomhú láithreach ar an mí-úsáid a thuairiscíodh agus caithfear an dlí iomlán a chur ar na daoine atá freagrach as seo. Ní féidir linn glacadh leis an chruálacht a chonaic muid ar an gclár teilifíse aréir. Caithfidh an Rialtas scrúdú láithreach a chur ar bun. Last night, "RTÉ Investigates" reported shocking abuse and cruelty at our only licenced abattoir at Shannonside Foods Limited in Straffan, County Kildare. This mistreatment was very distressing for many people. It included the repeated beatings of dying horses. In one instance, a fallen horse that was unable to get back on its feet had a pitchfork thrust into its side. The horse died hours later after this suffering had been inflicted on it. These appalling incidents were filmed in the buildings used by Shannonside Foods Limited to house horses before they are sent across to the kill room in the slaughterhouse, which is supervised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That Department has somebody on site.

Professor Chris Elliot of Queen's University Belfast led the independent review of the British food system after the 2013 horsemeat scandal. He said that what he saw was nothing like he experienced before. Involving the breaking of all regulations on the treatment and welfare of animals, he rightly called it out as a scandal.

Anyone who watched last night's documentary will have been distressed and appalled. People in this country have a great love for horses. I know the comfort that those with special needs and autism get from horses. Indeed, many people refer to these animals as angels with hooves. They demand respect and care. What was reported last night demands immediate action and accountability. I commend the journalist who brought this matter to the public's attention and who brought this cruelty and mistreatment to light.

It has been uncovered that approximately 2,000 horses were slaughtered in Shannonside Foods Limited in Kildare last year alone. Two thirds of those animals were bred for the horse racing industry. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine had said it has staff on the premises when those horses were slaughtered. It also indicated that no welfare issues were noted on the days when this mistreatment took place. A question that many people are asking this morning is how this mistreatment happened under the very nose of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. What is clear is that the law has been broken. I understand that the Department and An Garda Síochána have begun an investigation on foot of the shocking findings of "RTÉ Investigates". I welcome that. However, questions must be asked as to whether supervision at this site was adequate, particularly in light of the cruelty and abuse taking place literally a stone's throw away from the slaughterhouse in which the departmental official was sitting and supervising. People are asking how could it be that this building just yards away did not fall under the remit of the Department. What has also been raised in the context of last night's programme is the potential for compromise of the human food chains with evidence of identify falsification, with one animal welfare officer inserting false identification microchips into the horses.

Will the Minister ensure that the full weight of the law is brought down on those responsible for the cruelty and mistreatment reported in last night's programme? What is the Government going to do to enhance supervision to ensure that this never happens again? Has the Minister been in contact with European counterparts regarding the possible contamination of human food chain as a result of the misidentification and laundering of Irish horses?

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