Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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684. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of registered puppy farms and registered dog breeding establishments in each of the years from 2010 to 2020. [49316/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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685. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of inspections at registered puppy farms and registered dog breeding establishments in each of the years from 2010 to 2020. [49317/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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686. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of violations by registered puppy farms and registered dog breeding establishments in each of the years from 2010 to 2020. [49318/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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687. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of dogs or puppies sold or bred by registered puppy farms and registered dog breeding establishments in each of the years from 2010 to 2020. [49319/21]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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688. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of prosecutions for offences at or involving illegal puppy farms and or illegal dog breeding establishments in each of the years from 2010 to 2020. [49323/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 684, 685, 686, 687 and 688 together.

Each year my Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities, including those that relate to dog breeding establishments. This information is collated from annual returns received from all local authorities. Information up to and including 2020, is available at www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-control-statistics/

For example, information regarding dog breeding establishments can be found on pages 12-14 of the 2020 dog control statistics, with page 12 outlining the number of inspections carried out and improvement notices issued to premises registered for the first time in 2020. One improvement notice was issued to a premises applying for first time registration and two unregistered dog breeding establishments were issued with closure notices in 2020.

Page 13 details the number of inspections carried out, applications refused and improvement notices issued to existing premises in 2020. Three improvement notices and one closure notice were issued to existing premises in 2020.

Page 14, which is a summary page, shows that the number of registered dog breeding establishments in 2020 was 239. This figure includes 83Commercial Dog Breeding Establishments (CDBEs), 85Hunts Clubs and 49 Commercial Boarding Kennels (CBKs). The remainder of the 239 total comprises Animal Welfare Shelters (18)and training kennels(4).

I have no information on the number of dogs or pups sold or bred by registered dog breeding establishments.

Separately, the enforcement of animal welfare standards for all animals, including dogs in dog breeding establishments, is a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) under the Animal Health and Welfare Acts. DAFM introduced Regulations regarding the microchipping of dogs, S.I. No. 63 of 2015, which means that all dogs must be microchipped. Furthermore, in late 2019, DAFM also introduced the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019 in respect of the advertising of pet animals, including dogs. Further information can be found at

www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/salesupplyandadvertisingofpets/

Both Departments work closely with each other to ensure a coordinated approach is taken in this area.