Written answers

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Animal Welfare

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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525. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures his Department is considering for budget 2016 that would make veterinary care more affordable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31539/15]

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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526. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures in place and planned to combat instances of animal cruelty here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31540/15]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together.

Ownership of animals whether kept as pets or for farming purposes imposes on the owner a legal responsibility to protect the health and welfare of every animal in their care including making provisions for necessary costs that may be incurred for veterinary fees. In this context, the cost of veterinary care is primarily a commercial matter between owners of animals and service providers. It is important that people acquiring animals ensure that they have the capacity to take appropriate care of them. While the cost of veterinary care would be factored in to animal ownership, I am aware that, occasionally, persons owning pet animals do not have the means to ensure their animals’ health and welfare. Accordingly, my Department has provided funding since 1995 to animal welfare bodies to assist with their work in caring for animals. These organisations provide much needed assistance to animals (and by extension the owners of animals) in their local communities including providing appropriate and necessary veterinary care to animals at subsidised rates. Funding amounting to €1.867m was allocated in December 2015 to 142 animal welfare charities. Applications for 2015 are currently being processed by my officials and a decision on funding levels will be made in December.

I should also mention that, in the context of recently introduced dog microchipping legislation which makes it compulsory as of 1stSeptember 2015 to microchip all dogs born after 1 June 2015 and which will apply to all dogs post 31 March 2016, I have made funding available to animal welfare charities to subsidise the cost of microchipping for any dog owner who finds it difficult to afford the full cost of complying with the legislation i.e. social welfare recipients, those on state pensions etc. Details of how to make an application for funding is available on my Departments website at .

The financial assistance provided by my Department to animal welfare bodies assists in reducing incidences of animal cruelty. Such incidents of animal cruelty are totally unacceptable in a civilised society and my Department devotes considerable resources to protecting animal welfare and for dealing with breaches of animal welfare legislation. The new Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 provides for increased levels of penalties for offences of animal cruelty. The Act sends a clear message to all that cruelty and maliciousness to animals is unacceptable and I believe that the increased penalties provided for under the Act will act as a deterrent to perpetrators of such actions. For major cases taken on indictment, the maximum penalty on conviction is up but not exceeding €250,000 with a maximum custodial sentence of five years imprisonment.

My Department continues to work very closely with animal welfare and farming organisations, local authorities and An Garda Síochána in order to minimise incidences of animal cruelty and to provide for early intervention in cases of suspected animal neglect or cruelty. To enable the reporting of incidences of animal cruelty, myDepartment continues to operate a network of regional offices throughout the country together with an Animal Welfare Helpline (lo call 076 1064408) and members of the public can report any instance where animal welfare may be compromised to the lo-call number or by email to .

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