Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)

I wish to raise an issue regarding dog attacks on livestock. This week, we saw dog attacks on livestock have surged to a six-year high. We are now coming into lambing season once more. We have seen that half the dogs that are impounded have no microchips. The system that is there at this moment in time is actually broken. There are fines from €100 to €300 for anybody caught by a dog warden who has a dog off a leash or one that is worrying sheep. Two thirds of these fines were not paid in 2024. It is alarming to see that even when a dog warden catches somebody who has a dog off a leash that is doing damage or worrying sheep or livestock and the warden then issues a fine of €300, the local authorities are still unable to collect these fines.

I am calling for us to scrutinise the legislation for this and look at tightening up the whole legislation about dog worrying and dog owners. When Covid hit, everybody felt it was a good idea to get a pet. We have seen the number of pets in Ireland rise by over 50%. We are now seeing a problem where some people have these pets that are not microchipped and are roaming free. Some dog owners do not even know where their dogs are at night-time, whether they are in the back yard or roaming free and worrying sheep.

By law, every dog owner must microchip their dog. The dog must have a microchip. For any dog that goes to a vet and does not have a microchip, it is compulsory that the vet must put a microchip in it. We need to tighten up the laws. Any dog that is left into a pound must get a microchip before it is handed out to a new owner. At least, we can microchip them and register the microchips to the new owners so that when damage is done, we know both the dog that has done the damage, once it is lifted, and the owner of that dog. It is very important that this is tightened up because, as I said, we are entering the spring lambing season and we will see huge amounts of damage done to sheep again and again without anyone taking responsibility.