Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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30. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will review legislation relating to dog breeding establishments in view of recent cases of welfare issues in some large establishments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7154/18]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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To its shame, Ireland is the puppy farming capital of Europe. Some estimates put it at 100,000 puppies a year. The breeding conditions often operate on an industrial scale in battery conditions similar to battery pigs or battery chickens.

11 o’clock

It is really horrific. Huge profits are being made from horrific animal cruelty, which was exposed in a "Panorama" programme almost two years ago. What action will the Government take to clamp down on this cruelty and stop this industrial-scale breeding?

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Paul Murphy for the question.

The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 sets out a framework for the regulation of dog-breeding establishments, requiring local authorities to establish and maintain registers of such establishments in their areas and prohibiting the operation of unregistered ones. Section 15 of the Act provides that the Minister may issue guidelines in regard to the operation of these establishments. The current guidelines have been in place since 2012 and are being revised. A public consultation process took place in 2017 and a consultation summary report, which provides a summary of submissions received and sets out the next steps, has now been published on my Department's website.

While the focus is currently on developing the revised guidelines, broader issues relating to dog welfare were also raised in the course of the public consultation, including the need to amend the Dog Breeding Establishments Act. Amendments to the legislation, if necessary, will be progressed once the guidelines are finalised. I expect to have the new guidelines ready for my approval in second quarter of this year.

More generally, the enforcement of animal welfare standards for all animals, including dogs, is a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the Animal Health and Welfare Acts. Both Departments work closely with each other to ensure a co-ordinated approach is taken in this area.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I originally asked this question to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine but it was redirected to the Department of the Minister of State, for whatever reason.

Has the Minister of State watched the "Panorama" programme and noted what was displayed? Possibly the chief villain that emerges from that documentary — there are many — is Mr. Raymond Cullivan, owner of Misty Meadow in Cavan, which has hundreds of breeding bitches. Dogs are kept there in tiny cages and are not allowed outside. They are illegally kept in coffin-type whelping boxes with their pups and are unable to move. Unfortunately, this is not just a rogue trader. It is not just an isolated incident. These are the kinds of conditions that exist in industrial-scale puppy farms, where pups are bred non-stop and exported before they should be, even according to the Balai directive. They are not given access to veterinary care and not allowed outside. In some cases, they are simply thrown at the side of the road if they get sick.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I have no evidence concerning the case the Deputy cited but I will ask my officials to liaise with Cavan County Council in that regard. It is the local authority that has been charged with inspections.

I am committed to ensuring the new guidelines will be enacted by June of this year. The recommendations received in regard to the public consultation, which are summarised in my Department, cover a number of areas.

A query was raised on which Department should have legislative responsibility and whether it should be the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which is involved in animal welfare and which has veterinary officers. Questions were asked about requested changes that could potentially be taken on board in regard to redrafting the guidelines, changes that would not be possible to take on board under the legislative framework, and areas generally relating to dog welfare issues that are outside the scope of the original consultation. The working group involved will have its next meeting on 23 February. It operates under the auspices of the County and City Management Association.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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There is undoubtedly a problem with the legislation and regulations as they stand, both in terms of the absence of enforcement and the manner in which they are drafted. It is evidenced by the fact that Ireland is leading the race to the bottom regarding conditions on puppy farms. It is why Ireland is the puppy-farming capital of Europe.

An issue I wish to raise is the enforcement of the regulations as they currently exist. This means proper inspections. The "Panorama" documentary shows there had been inspections by Cavan County Council at the farm in question and that it deemed that everything was fine. There is a case for properly resourced independent inspectors — for example, from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA. There is a problem in accessing, through freedom of information requests, data on the inspections that have been carried out. Repeatedly, various groups, including the ISPCA, have been denied information, obtainable through freedom of information requests, on quite spurious grounds. More fundamentally, there is need to crack down on and eliminate industrial-style breeding. In Victoria in Australia, for example, the maximum number of breeding bitches allowed is ten. It could be fewer. As in Victoria, we could ensure that licence numbers are advertised in third-party sales.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I want to see the highest standards achieved in any dog-breeding establishment. I certainly do not want Ireland to develop a negative reputation in this important area. Clearly, there is a market for puppies. My wife, Avril, and I took on a dog rescued through Madra. It is a shih tzu called Ciara. It was a breeding dog that we were able to rehouse. I understand the importance of the Deputy’s point, therefore. I also understand that people like to buy newborn puppies. It is important that they be treated correctly. It will certainly look into the issue the Deputy raised regarding the establishment in question. I will examine, under the guidelines, what role there may be for independent oversight.

With regard to convictions relating to establishments, the number increased from 118 in 2014 to 138 in 2016. We are awaiting the figures for 2017. Prosecutions rose from 273 to 304. The number of inspections of existing dog-breeding establishments increased from 80 in 2014 to 215 in 2016. The number of improvement notices issued in respect of applications for renewal of registration rose from zero in 2014 to ten in 2016. Certainly, people are more conscious of the importance of this area. As I stated, I will raise with the powers that be some of the issues the Deputy raised regarding the review and renewal of the guidelines.