David Norris (Independent)

-----which have done damage and are not worth a tuppenny damn.

Will the Leader examine the crisis in the equine industry in the treatment of horses? The number of abandoned and mistreated horses referred to the DSPCA has increased from 26 in 2008 to 112 this year, 50% of which have to be humanely euthanised. This is a very significant problem which has been written about in the international media, in the United States and Britain. These articles do damage to our very important horse breeding industry. There is also a risk of infection being spread throughout the country by untraceable and unclipped animals. Will the Leader refer this matter to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and ask that action be taken? Owners who cannot afford veterinary care or to pay for the humane destruction of their animals should be given an amnesty immediately in order that they can surrender them to the Department or a local authority. All unregulated horses, particularly those in cities, should be impounded by local authorities and taken to the horse pound where they could be offered for rehoming following the payment of the necessary fees, if people need assistance. All horses which cannot be rehomed should be humanely put down. There is an urgent need for a centralised microchip database. Unregulated markets such as the one in Smithfield should be either regulated or shut down. The Government and the Department know about this matter. The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has been informed by local authorities of the situation. A very good document, Challenges and Solutions to Support Good Equine Welfare Practice in Ireland, has been produced by UCD. It has been transmitted to the Government but nothing has been done. I ask the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as a matter of urgency.