Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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Wandering and malnourished horses remains an issue in urban areas across the country. I have raised this many times over a number of years in this Chamber. It is an ongoing issue for Limerick. The late former Limerick TD, Mick Lipper, raised the issue in this House as far back as December 1977. Unfortunately, it remains a challenge that many Limerick communities continue to face.

There remains a prevalence of horses in green areas and others are often stabled in derelict council houses or properties. In one day in February in the space of half an hour, I counted 50 horses grazing in urban areas. During my regular visits to many of Limerick's urban areas, it is apparent that there has been no reduction in the number of horses. Unfortunately, it has got worse.

From an animal welfare perspective, these horses appear malnourished. They are often tied to lampposts with hardly any space to roam. A dirty bucket of water is often next to them and they are neglected for days on end. In many cases they are ridden, violently whipped and made wander streets without appropriate horseshoes. It is shameful to see these beautiful animals treated in such a manner.

From a community perspective, the mistreatment of these animals has a real impact. I hear from local communities about the horses, and often foals, left injured and dead in their areas. Recently, I got a horse removed after it was lying dead at the back of someone's home for more than a week. This is incredibly unfair to local people. We see many green areas destroyed, areas that should be used by children to play. Footpaths and open spaces are caked with manure and vacant houses are often commandeered without permission to stable these animals.

The level of impunity is frustrating for citizens. If the Minister of State or I drive without an NCT, road tax or insurance, we will, correctly, be penalised, and yet those riding horses and sulkies, often young children, face no penalties. The risk posed by these animals, particularly given the inexperience of some of their riders, is a growing concern. Without decisive action, I fear injuries or even fatalities are inevitable.

It is apparent that many left to care for these animals are children and teenagers. It is hard to believe, with such young owners, that any of these animals have been chipped and pinned as required by legislation. Over the years, via numerous parliamentary questions, I have sought to see how many prosecutions there have been regarding the failure to chip and pin a horse. "None" is the answer I usually get. If a law is not enforced, it will not be abided by.

In the past four years, an average of 92 horses were collected each year by Limerick council. However, up to October of this year, the council has collected 22 horses. This is a collapse in collecting horses, not fewer horses. The local authority, under the Government's watch, has abandoned communities and failed to collect these horses. The local authority will not collect horses in daylight, meaning there are very few horses around to collect at night-time, even though those horses can often be in the same green area for days on end. An Garda Síochána, which will need to assist, is often not available. The pound does not usually have the capacity to collect more than four or five horses at a time, and local gardaí have told me it is not worth their while and effort to assist in collecting so few horses. Why is this legislation not being enforced? Why are there not targeted efforts by the Minister of State's Department, in conjunction with local councils and the Garda, to take decisive action that demonstrates those abusers of animals and this type of situation will no longer be tolerated?

I acknowledge as well that many people keep these animals and care for them very well. They abide by the laws and engage with urban horse projects. There is no escaping that many young people in Limerick and beyond love their horses and, given the appropriate training, would make very caring horse owners. Urban horse projects give them an opportunity. A recent article in Changing Ireland magazine quoted a number of young kids, including Wesley Joyce, who is not a kid anymore, "If you invest your money into Moyross Youth Academy, you might win it back on a jockey someday." That was Wesley Joyce, over 50 times a national flat winner and, I hope, more. Another person said:

For me, when you’re on a horse, the speed, just getting the feel off the horse, there’s no other feeling like that. My dream was to work with horses, but without Moyross Youth Academy I definitely wouldn’t be a jockey today. They’re very supportive.

That was Terry Casey in Southill. "With the Moyross Youth Academy, you know, they really help young people out", said Aoife Leonard, 14 years old, who is now a showjumper.

Considering the lack of enforcement of chip-and-pin legislation despite the continuing presence of huge numbers of stray horses destroying many of our urban areas, is it the Minister of State's view that the Control of Horses Act 1996 is still fit for purpose?

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter in respect of wandering and malnourished horses in urban areas of Limerick. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for all policy and legislation in relation to the Control of Horses Act 1996. Operation of the Act comes under the remit of the local authorities though. Any reports of welfare issues received by the Department, including breaches of the animal welfare legislation, are acted upon and investigated.

Appropriate enforcement action, where breaches or shortcomings are identified, is undertaken by the Department and authorised officers appointed under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including but not limited to An Garda Síochána, customs agents and local authorities. Primary responsibility for protecting the welfare of equines rest with the owner or the keeper.

Under the Control of Horses Act 1996, local authorities may take a range of actions in relation to equines, including prohibiting horses in certain areas, issuing licences and seizing horses in contravention of the Act. These powers can be used in respect of straying horses, which includes horses put on land without the owner’s permission, including public land. Local authorities may also prosecute offenders.

The Department provides financial support to help local authorities with the cost of these seizures. The Department collects information from local authorities on a quarterly basis in respect of the overall number of equines seized by them. Currently, only the figures relating to quarter 1 and quarter 2 of this year are available, with the number of horses seized in Limerick over this period totalling 22. This number is down from the same period in 2024 where the number of horses seized was 45.

This Government is fully committed to supporting sustainable initiatives in line with the programme for Government and Working Together for Animal Welfare: Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025. As part of this commitment, the Department of agriculture has continued to support urban horse projects nationwide, working with local authorities, charities and community stakeholders. These projects have proven very successful and are aimed specifically at equine welfare and marginalised communities. These projects can foster community leadership and education in responsible horse ownership for young people. An exemplar project of note is the Moyross project, which has been in operation since 2016 and has helped so many young people from disadvantages communities. I will interject here to point out there is a very good project in my own constituency which has also done incredible work in this area and we are all very proud of it.

From 2015 to date, over €2 million has been spent on urban horse projects by the Department, with €150,000 allocated for these projects in 2025. The urban horse projects greatly benefit the welfare of equines and young people from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds. There are currently seven live projects.

Last year, the Department awarded €6 million in funding, which went to 101 animal welfare charities throughout the country, under the animal welfare grants programme. Of that figure, just over €3.4 million was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses.

More generally, the Department recently published a report by Professor Paddy Wall on equine traceability and welfare and has prepared an action plan to implement its recommendations.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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The reason the number of horses that were collected is down is that they are simply not being collected. The problem is just being ignored and let go. I appreciate the Minister of State's response but on the ground, the reality is this continues to be an issue, predominantly in working class estates. I have absolutely no doubt that if these horses were tied to a lamppost and destroying green areas in more affluent areas of our city, the State would, rightly, not tolerate it, intervene and do its job. It is not doing it in the working class areas. Why must those who live in working class communities have to endure what would not be tolerated anywhere else? It is simply not good enough anymore.

While the keeping of ponies and horses remains a tradition in many parts of Limerick, a tradition passed through the generations, unfortunately we cannot ignore that there are others who treat these animals with a lack of compassion and with cruelty. This type of mistreatment has been allowed to continue for years without robust State intervention. It is shameful.

The critical issue here is enforcement of the law; enforcement of animal welfare laws included. We need to see a deterrent from the misuse of animals in urban areas. We need to offer more support to animal welfare groups. I am constantly contacted by groups such as Limerick Animal Welfare and My Lovely Horse project which do tremendous work but they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of calls they get and often there is little I can do to help them.

I agree the local councils have an important role to play but the lead must come from the Department of agriculture. If the approach to enforcement by the Department laissez faire, it follows councils will not treat this matter with the emphasis and urgency it requires. If we enforce our existing laws, showing this behaviour will not be tolerated, we can protect these animals and improve our communities. We can give public spaces back to children. We can have clean footpaths and return pride to our communities. If we went as far as ensuring illegally parked horse boxes are removed and destroyed, it would show that those who ignore the law and those infractions will be punished.

We can enhance our communities. Those good horse owners I referenced would have nothing to fear from legislation being enforced. I know many horse owners treat their ponies with care and compassion but the thuggish behaviour of a few impacts the reputation of all horse owners. It is time we stepped up and acted. There can be no tolerance for this abuse and anti-community behaviour cannot be tolerated.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I will start by acknowledging and thanking the Deputy for the amount of work he has done and his dedication on this particular topic. I agree the issues merit the attention and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, is fully committed to building on the work already being undertaken to tackle the issue.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has lead responsibility within Government for animal welfare and takes its role seriously. It is committed to the policy that animal welfare standards are vigorously applied in a fair and even handed manner. The Department keeps animal welfare legislation under review with respect to developments in the areas of animal welfare and with regard to the practical lessons learned from the operation of the 2013 Animal Health and Welfare Act. The Department operates a confidential animal welfare helpline through which members of the public can report incidents of animal welfare cruelty and neglect for investigation.