Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I will relay back to the Ministers what the Deputy has said here. In dealing with breaches of equine identification legislation the policy is to adopt a fair and proportionate approach. Authorised officers engage with keepers to ensure that they understand their responsibilities and, where potential breaches of the legislation are identified, they generally provide an opportunity for non-compliant keepers to rectify the position within a specified timeframe. Last year €6 million in funding went to 101 animal welfare charities throughout the country under the animal welfare grant programme.

Just over €3.4 million of that was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses. The Department also operates a confidential animal welfare helpline through which members of the public can report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation. I will relay the Deputy's message to the Ministers.

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