Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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1965. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of the voyages of dedicated livestock vessels departing from Ireland in 2020 and in 2021 that were accompanied by a vet, by departure date and destination and if the vet travelled to the destination port and observed the unloading of the livestock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63309/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department only permits animals to be transported in compliance with the legislation. Department officials and inspectors monitor compliance through a system of official controls, including advance checks of paperwork and veterinary checks of the livestock vessel, and of all animals before they travel, along with retrospective checks on GPS and temperature records. In general, animals travel well and arrive in good condition.

There were 10 voyages of dedicated livestock vessels from Ireland during 2020 and five during 2021; the date and port of departure, and the port of destination are outlined in the table below. Of those, a Department veterinary inspector accompanied one voyage within each of these years. 

On both occasions, based on the advice and updates provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding travel for Irish citizens, the official disembarked before the vessel docked at the port of destination, and therefore did not observe the unloading of livestock in the port of destination in Libya,  This advice is available on the DFA website.

The resurgence of COVID-19 in Ireland and throughout Europe during 2021 has made such accompaniment challenging. It is planned to resume such accompaniments once it is deemed safe from a public health perspective.

My Department is conscious of the need to ensure the welfare of the animals in transit and, as the regulator in this area, we are satisfied that the systems in place in respect of the intra-community movement and extra-community movement of these animals are in compliance with the relevant legislation. The Department continues to monitor and enforce compliance, to ensure the welfare of animals transported.