Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 703: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the arrangements in place in his Department for the licensing, supervision and inspection of puppy farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3904/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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In the light of concerns raised about the absence of regulation of commercial dog breeding establishments, my predecessor established a Working Group to consider regulating such establishments under the Control of Dogs Acts.

The majority report of the Working Group contained a number of recommendations, including the introduction of statutorily enforceable standards for the dog breeding industry in Ireland, and proposed the introduction of a registration system for dog breeding establishments.

Following extensive public consultation on the matter which showed that, while there is some opposition to the majority recommendations, there is general support for regulation in this area, work has been ongoing in my Department on the preparation of regulations to give legal effect to the majority recommendations of the Working Group. I hope to finalise these regulations shortly.