Written answers
Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Animal Welfare
Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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991. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures his Department will take to ensure the welfare of all animals currently being looked after by an organisation (details supplied) which has called a national emergency appeal due to the fact that all its centres have reached maximum capacity; and if his Department is considering taking further measures to ensure that the current situation is not repeated as a result of excess breeding. [28501/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Animal welfare is a key priority for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and considerable resources and funding are provided to support animal welfare charities and organisations involved in rescuing and rehoming animals through the Annual Welfare Grant Programme.
In December 2022, my Department awarded record funding of €5.8 million to 99 animal welfare charities throughout the country. This included a substantial contribution to the organisation in question. Of the €5.8m awarded to animal welfare charities in 2022, €4.7m was provided to charities working with dogs and this money contributes to supporting re-homing schemes run by some of the recipient charities.
In January, I convened a working group on the control of dogs along with Minister Humphreys, and the report of this group has been approved by cabinet and published. Its recommendations include a campaign on responsible dog ownership, which will be driven by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The 2023 application process for grants from my Department for animal welfare charities will open in the coming weeks, demonstrating my Department's ongoing commitment to supporting the valuable work of these organisations in the future.
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