Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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863. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of the ongoing abuse of horses throughout the country with some horses left malnourished, abandoned, and suffering in urban and rural areas alike; the action he will commit to in order to prevent further cruelty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2551/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action is undertaken by my Department and authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including An Garda Síochána, Customs agents, authorised officers appointed by local authorities, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), where breaches or shortcomings are identified. Any reports of welfare issues received by my Department, including breaches of the animal welfare legislation, are acted upon and investigated.

I am fully committed to supporting sustainable initiatives in line with the Programme for Government and Working Together for Animal Welfare, Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025. As part of this commitment, I continue to support urban horse projects nationwide, which can foster community leadership and education in responsible horse ownership for young people. There are currently eight live projects and in October 2023, my Department hosted a seminar dedicated to the promotion of the urban horse projects.

Last year €6 million in funding went to 101 animal welfare charities throughout the country, under the Animal Welfare Grant Programme. Of that figure, just over €3.4 million was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses.

My Department operates a confidential animal welfare helpline through which members of the public can report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation.

The dedicated e-mail address and helpline in place for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare are:

Helpline Phone No: 01 607 2379.

Email address - animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie