Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I agree with the Minister's statement that the crux of the matter pertains to how authorised officers fulfil their duties. It is a question of their appointment. From my interpretation of the legislation, there are three ways in which an authorised officer can be appointed, namely, through the Minister, through the local authority structure or through a welfare organisation. Which organisations does the Minister have in mind? One could end up having authorised officers appointed all over the place by different organisations, such as local authorities and welfare organisations. I would much prefer to see authorised officers appointed only by the Minister or Department. Those who know something about agriculture and who are dealing with it daily are in the Department. I propose that there be departmental or ministerial appointment rather than local authority autonomy in the appointment of authorised officers. The fear is that the local authorities, given the financial constraints they are under, may use appointment as a money-raising exercise rather than a means of ensuring animal welfare.