John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

With regard to amendment No. 23, the Irish Coursing Club and the Irish Greyhound Board have suggested the legislation is excessively restrictive in regard to dog breeding oestrous cycles. To address this issue, I proposed changing the provision for breeding frequency from one litter every 12 months to three litters in any three-year period. This will provide flexibility to address situations where a bitch might not fall pregnant within a 12-month period or might fall pregnant twice in a 12-month period.