Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of horses slaughtered at a facility (details supplied) following the revelations of alert referred to by a newspaper article as occurring in 2018; the number that were from the racing or show jumping sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27840/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The facility that the newspaper article refers to is different to the one that you provide details on in your question. That plant no longer operates as a horse slaughter facility. From 2018 until it closed in 2020, 7,941 horses were slaughtered at the facility referred to in the article. Of those, 2,983 were thoroughbreds and the remainder of 4,958 were non-thoroughbreds. My Department does not have data on how many were from the show jumping sector.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the age of the youngest and oldest horse slaughtered at a facility (details supplied); the average age of the horses slaughtered since operations began, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27841/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Based on data submitted to my Department's Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system database by passport issuing organisations (PIOs) regarding the date of birth of horses, as part of the registration of births, and the date of slaughter of horses, the calculations are as follows:

The youngest animal slaughtered at the facility referenced, since operations began in 2015 is 0.33 years. Using the same data the oldest animal slaughtered was 39.18 years and the average age of slaughter was 10.48 years.

Please note this data should be interpreted with caution as 22% of animals slaughtered had a default date of birth of the 1st of January of the year in question as, prior to 1 November 2018, only the year of birth was required to be provided on registration of a horse. Since the introduction of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1940 on the 1st of November 2018 the actual date of birth is required in the format DD/MM/YYYY.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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339. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has contacted or liaised with the Ministers for Health and Justice in relation to a facility (details supplied) and-or the equine slaughter industry in Ireland; if so, the nature of that contact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27842/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has ongoing close engagement with An Garda Síochána, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on this matter. My officials will continue to liaise and work with these organisations as part of this ongoing investigation. The full rigours of the law will be applied in instances where breaches are found to have occurred.