Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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485. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding is available for a society (details supplied) to set up its own society in Ireland in view of the fact its herd books are based in the UK and it cannot register animals, given that the UK is no longer a member of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3070/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Within EU Member States, purebred animal breeding of the domestic species (bovines, porcines, ovines, caprines and equines) is governed by EU legislation, namely, Regulation (EU) 2016/1012, aimed at ensuring a harmonised approach to trade and for entry into the European Union.

The exiting of the UK from the European Union, impacts on Irish breeders that are members of UK breed societies as these breed societies now lie outside the scope of EU animal breeding legislation.

In this context, the UK government department responsible advises that there are two breeds of goat and twenty two breeds of equine where UK breed societies extended their breeding programmes into Ireland and have been offering registration services to Irish breeders.

Since 1st January 2021, the procedure of registering purebred animals with UK Societies that are kept in Ireland is no longer in line with EU legislation.

My Department has been proactive in terms of its engagement with breed societies and pedigree breeders and is currently assisting Irish breeders explore their options so they can continue to enter their purebred breeding animals in breeding books. These options include establishing a breed society in Ireland, entering their animals in another EU recognised breed society for the same breed in Ireland or another member state.

As a result of this proactive engagement, since the 1st of January, my Department has recognised two bovine breeding programmes and is dealing with applications for seven ovine, one equine and two further bovine societies who have applied for recognition in the state.

There is no funding available to assist establishing a breed society in Ireland.