Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply on this matter. I am raising this subject because we have serious concerns with regard to the management and monitoring of dog breeding in Ireland. We are all well aware of the terrible instances of dog attacks that occurred last year and the specific breeds that then had to be dealt with quite summarily. We need a greater understanding of that industry. My request is to try to shine a light of transparency on this industry in order that we are more aware of the number of dog breeders out there and the level of turnover. At the moment, there are only guesstimate numbers as to the size of this industry. In an Irish context, we are seen among our European partners as one of the less regulated countries in this area. That is not a positive reflection on a country with such a great history in the context of how we manage our agricultural industry, which is where this matter falls within.

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