Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

Ireland has the unfortunate status of being the puppy farm capital of Europe, with a massive industry of underground breeding establishments continuously producing puppies under appalling conditions. This has all happened under the watch of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Ireland falls far short of what most dog lovers would recognise as an acceptable environment for puppies and their mothers. The breeding and sale of pets urgently demands stricter regulations to combat issues such as puppy farming and irresponsible breeding practices. I fully support the legislation introduced by the Social Democrats in the Dáil on this issue. It will make a real impact in improving animal welfare standards for dogs and end some of the cruel practices that occur on these puppy farms. Likewise, we need further security when it comes to the sale of pets online, in the course of which there are often attempts to deceive the public on the conditions in which dogs were bred. There needs to be an information campaign rolled out, in conjunction with new legislation in this area, informing the public how to recognise a verified advertisement and to be able to know whether a dog has come from a licensed breeding establishment. Being registered does not equate to being ethical. Just because the person selling the pups is nice, that does not mean he or she is ethical. A lot of research has been done and there are clearly many red flags. It is important to warn people that they should meet the mother of the pup in their own environment. They should not meet them in a carpark, which is what happens a lot, and it should not be cash only. That is a red flag. The animal rescue services are absolutely overwhelmed by the number of dogs and it is horrific for them. It is really important that, this Christmas, when families are going to be under real pressure to get a pup, it is important to watch for red flags, to not buy a puppy-farm pup, to adopt from a rescue and not to shop.