Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1825. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is planning on regulating canine fertility clinics and ban surgical insemination as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47183/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

On 1 June 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) and all policy responsibility in relation to the Dog breeding Establishments Acts transferred on 1 August 2025.  It must be noted that local authorities retain responsibility for all operational, implementation and enforcement matters under the Acts.

A high level stakeholder group was established in 2024 to consider policy and legislative matters currently under the remit of my Department, specifically the Dog Control Acts and the Dog Breeding Establishments Act.

The stakeholder group meets on a quarterly basis and the minutes from the previous meetings are published.

The stakeholder group’s remit includes considering the need for legislative change. This requires in-depth analysis and consultation to ensure amendments are not just robust, fit for purpose and implementable but that they also deliver the best outcomes for communities.

I expect the group to revert to me with recommendations on the matter in due course, and I look forward to receiving the recommendations of the group

In the meantime, I am fully committed to progressing the work in this area.

Regarding the ban on surgical insemination, the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) announced in April 2024 that it had updated its Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Practitioners to prohibit veterinarians from carrying out surgical artificial insemination in dogs due to ethical and welfare considerations. However, this new prohibition does not apply to greyhounds, as the practice is provided for in legislation under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhound Regulations 2005.

The report of the Working Group on Control of Dogs, which was approved by Cabinet in March 2023, and has been published online at gov.ie - Working Group on Control of Dogs (www.gov.ie), includes a recommendation that surgical artificial insemination in canines be prohibited, where the word canine encompasses all breeds of dogs, including greyhounds.

In 2024, my Department held a public consultation on whether the practice of carrying out surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds should be banned or not. The results of the public consultation will be published in due course.

My Department is closely examining this issue and will be providing advice on an appropriate course of action in the near future.