Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the efforts being made to tackle the growing numbers of abandoned horses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40647/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's statutory responsibility extends to the welfare and protection of farmed animals only i.e. animals normally bred or kept for the production of food or for use in or for the purpose of farming. Notwithstanding this, it is apparent from ongoing communications between officials of my Department and representatives of Local Authorities and Animal Welfare Organisations that there is an increasing risk of abandonment of horses.

The evidence indicates that horses are usually abandoned on waste lands/public roads etc and in such circumstances they become a matter for Local Authorities to address under the Control of Horses Act 1996. This Act contains a comprehensive range of measures to deal with problems relating to horses including the problem of abandonment and it assigns to local authorities the primary role for dealing with such horses. The Act contains provisions on the seizure and detention of stray horses, the confiscation of horses which stray repeatedly and the disposal of seized horses. If there are welfare or cruelty issues associated with abandoned horses, the Garda Siochana have powers to deal with such issues under the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 and 1965.

My Department provides some €2million per annum to Local Authorities to assist them in implementing the Control of Horses Act. Officials of my Department are continuing to work with Local Authority representatives on a protocol to improve implementation of the Control of Horses Act throughout the Local Authority areas. The protocol will look at those Local Authority areas where the Control of Horses Act has been working particularly well with a view to incorporating some of the best practices in other areas.

Mindful too of the valuable work being done by animal welfare organisations throughout the country and as a contribution towards the cost of their activities in the forthcoming year, I provided funding of €1.185 million to assist them in their work in 2010. I also urged those welfare organisations that have the capacity to deal with larger animals to consider placing greater resources in promoting horse welfare.