Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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697. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the structures he is planning on putting in place for equine and canine welfare (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23172/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Animal Health and Welfare Act, 2013, the Department has primary policy responsibility for the welfare of all animals, including equines and canines. The Act puts clear obligations on owners to look after animals under their care.

Neglect of, or causing unnecessary suffering to, animals is not acceptable and the Department enforces the law as do An Garda Síochána and authorised officers of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Reports are followed up by Veterinary Staff in the Regional Veterinary Offices or, in some cases, are referred to the ISPCA or DSPCA for attention by their authorised officers. My Department keeps structures and policies under constant review to ensure

Whilst not specifically related to animal welfare, the Control of Horses Act 1996 was introduced to provide for the control of horses and to make provision for the licensing of horses in urban and other areas where horses cause a danger or nuisance to people or property. Operation of the Act comes under the remit of Local Authorities. The Department provides financial assistance to the authorities for implementation of the Act and for the development of Urban Horse Projects, including provisions of new structures and education projects, with the aim of encouraging young people in the care and welfare of horses.

The Control of Horses Act, 1996 is currently under review within the Department and plans for replacement legislation are well advanced. The aims of the replacement legislation is to simplify and clarify procedures in the Act in terms of seizure and disposal of horses. A further element is to re-examine the requirement to have a horse license, the objective of which may have been superseded by the Identification of Equidae Regulations (S.I. no 62 of 2016).

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262, which came into effect on 1st January 2016, lays down the rules governing the identification of equidae. This legislation was transposed into national legislation in Ireland by the European Union (Identification of Equidae) Regulations (S.I. No 62 of 2016). This sets down the rules regarding the identification of equines for owners/keepers of equines who are responsible for their identification.

Enforcement of equine identification legislation is primarily undertaken by authorised officers throughout the Department's Regional Office network and at slaughter plants. These officers work closely with their veterinary colleagues in the Local Authorities and liaise with members of An Garda Síochána and Revenue Commissioners officials as required. Authorised officers from the Department also carry out checks at sales venues including marts and fairs, as well as export points including ports and airports.

Work is underway within my Department to undertake a national equine census by the end of this year. This will establish the number of equines in the country and the residences at which they habitually reside. Further development of a central database to provide for the easy updating of equine residence data is also planned for 2021.

In addition, my Department has initiated and supports a number of other measures to help to improve the equine welfare situation, particularly with a view to developing longer term, sustainable solutions to problems. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to provide for additional urban horse welfare programmes.

The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) is responsible for the Control of Dogs Act and dog licencing. The Control of Dogs Act is the primary legislation that provides for the licensing and control of dogs and for the protection of livestock from worrying by dogs. That Department carried out a consultation on the Control of Dogs issue in 2019. My Department’s Animal Welfare Division is following up to evaluate its findings.

My Department is responsible for the Microchipping of Dogs Regulation 2015. Under the Regulation, all dogs over 12 weeks of age (or younger if sold before reaching 12 weeks old), must be microchipped, and it is illegal to sell/supply a dog that is not microchipped and the microchip number registered. This helps to ensure the security of a pet that strays and improves the chance of safe return if a dog is stolen.

As specified in the Regulation, the four database operators must provide details of the chips they hold to Europetnet, an umbrella group of national and local associations based across Europe which register owner information about pets that have been uniquely identified. This directs authorised persons who have scanned a dog to the appropriate database to identify the dog owner and facilitates a coordinated national approach to microchip identification. Officials in my Department are currently working with stakeholders in reviewing the existing legislation with a view to further enhancing it’s effectiveness.

My Department has introduced SI 681 of 2019 which requires anyone selling or supplying pets to keep records, including a record of from whom the pet was obtained and to whom the pet was sold or supplied. These Regulations also prohibit the advertisement of a dog for sale or supply without providing minimum information about the seller, origin and age of the dog and microchip number. This applies to all forms of advertising. My Department has further work to do on the enforcement of the Regulations and is fully committed to continued efforts on this.

Animal welfare is high on the agenda of my Department and considerable resources and funding are provided to address the issue. In December 2020, I announced the provision of record funding of €3.2 million to 101 animal welfare organisations throughout the country, many of which work with equines and canines. The Programme for Government contains an undertaking to make additional funding available to animal welfare charities and urban horse welfare programmes over the coming years, to which I am fully committed.