Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The issue of authorised officers is sensitive and what one wishes to avoid is having people who do not understand how farming works and how agriculture works going onto farms. Consequently, to provide reassurance, the inspection procedures and the authorised officers who will go onto farms essentially will be as they are present. Those concerned will be departmental vets, local authority vets and so on. However, there will be a new category of inspection following the enactment of this legislation, which will pertain to domestic pets. When someone uses the currently available freefone number to make a complaint or to express a concern that animal cruelty is going on in his or her neighbourhood or whatever, I must put in place authorised officers who can follow up on that complaint. In most circumstances, I would like such authorised officers to be either vets or veterinary nurses. However, it should be open to the Minister to work with, for example, a welfare organisation such as the ISPCA, which already is operating and which receives calls from people who make statements of concern with regard to animal welfare and which in consequence has much experience in this regard.

I have spoken to the ISPCA about this and have made it clear that I would not authorise any of its officers for farm inspections or for inspections concerning commercial farm activity because there already is a sufficient number of authorised officers available to do that. However, I also told the ISPCA that I would not discount its officers, who have a great deal of experience, in respect of the follow-up calls or inspections that may have to be made regarding domestic pets, animal cruelty and so on. There is much expertise available, particularly in the ISPCA, and I would like to be able to include such individuals within a certain category of authorised officer for certain tasks if it is necessary to increase the size of the panel. This makes sense and the ISPCA has been absolutely reasonable on this issue. It does not seek access onto farms, which is a different type of role. I wish to flag this point because I had stated previously that the authorised officers all would be vets or veterinary nurses. There could be some exceptions to this but proof of experience or expertise or both in respect of animal welfare or animal cruelty cases would be necessary.