Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State. I know it is not his Department but I appreciate the figures. I was already familiar with many of them. For example, one statistic was that in 2024, a figure of 8,768 pups were exported. The ISPCA and the DSPCA both estimate that around 40,000 or 50,000 pups were exported. I trust the charities on the ground. As public representatives, when we get a report of a horse, a dog or whatever in jeopardy, we know they are the people dealing with it everyday. Basically, the State is gives them a few bob every year to sustain them in the hope that we are ticking the boxes. Essentially, that is what we have done over the last few years. I trust their figures more than I trust the Department's figures. When they tell me there is more than 40,000 pups being exported every year, I trust them and not necessarily the figures the Minister of State read out.

The Minister of State rightly said it is the responsibility of the local authorities. I can only speak about Cork but I think we have three dog wardens in the city at the moment. I think it is a bit better in the county where there are approximately six. They are not tasked with enforcing the stuff they are faced with.

I am just on the phone to a journalist, Barry Roche, who had an article in the Irish Examiner a couple of weeks back about somebody who was found guilty in Charleville. The crimes that are being committed and the gain for these people in taking the chance and going under the radar far outstrip the sanctions and penalties they are faced with if they get caught.

I am aware this will all come under the Department of agriculture but I have a concern about that. I understand why it is being done, because the vets are with the Department of agriculture, but there are not enough vets. The vets will say there are not enough of them. They do not even have powers to do unsanctioned visits or inspections of properties.

The Minister of State and I live in the part of the country where most of this puppy farm culture is, namely, north Cork, west Limerick and parts of Kerry. The numbers being paraded are frankly astounding. It is an industry worth more than €120 million or 130 million. It needs to be better regulated and tightened up. Ultimately, we need to improve animal welfare standards.

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