Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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251. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the number of dog breeding establishments inspected; the number of unannounced inspections; the number of improvement notices issued and the number of closed down for each of the years 2023 to 2025, in tabular form. [55731/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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On 1 August 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Dog Breeding Acts 2010 transferred to my Department. Local authorities retain responsibility for all enforcement matters under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act.

Inspections of Dog Breeding Establishments are carried out by ex local authority vets who transferred to my Department in January of this year, as well as by local authority dog wardens.

All registered dog breeding establishments must undergo an annual inspection. My Department does not hold information on the number of inspections carried out by the Dog Warden service or the number of inspections carried out prior to January 2025. This information can be requested from the local authorities directly.

Provisional figures show that my Department has carried out over 120 inspections on Dog Breeding Establishments on behalf of local authorities from January to 1 October 2025. Of these, 84 inspections were unannounced.

In relation to the number of improvement notices and closure notices, local authorities are responsible for enforcement matters under the Dog Breeding Establishment Act.

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 email 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