ANI/ Home / Animal News / Page 3

Animal News

Greyhound Racing in Ireland.

Greyhound Racing to Continue in Ireland says Minister

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

Greyhound racing will continue in Ireland.

Responding to a Dáil question, Martin Heydon, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said he does not intend to ban greyhound racing.

Ruth Coppinger, Solidarity TD, has raised the issue of how the Department’s animal welfare strategy is progressing and referenced the intention of the Welsh and Scottish government to ban greyhound racing

She said, “I draw his attention to the fact that two countries, Wales and Scotland, have this week banned greyhound racing. Ireland is now going to be a complete and utter outlier. In banning it in Scotland, it will be an offence to set up a racetrack or for a dog owner to race a dog on one. The proponent of the motion said greyhound racing belonged in the past. The international consensus is to ban it. In Wales, it will come into force by 2030. Is it not time for us to transition out of greyhound racing?”

Greyhound Racing to Continue in Ireland says Minister Read Post »

Dogs in Kennels. Neglect of Seven Dogs.

Neglect of Seven Dogs Leads to Fine and Disqualification for Cork Man

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

The neglect of seven dogs has led to a Cork man being convicted of dog neglect, fined and disqualified from dog ownership.

Pat O’ Neill, Lanefield House, Gooseberry Hil, Newmarket, Co. Cork appeared at Mallow District Court on the 2nd March where he pleaded guilty to 15 breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. The case was brought by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Mr O’ Neill admitted causing unnecessary suffering to seven dogs, failing to protect their health and welfare, and failing to provide them with uncontaminated drinking water and wholesome food at Gooseberry Hill on May 15th, 2024.

Neglect of Seven Dogs Leads to Fine and Disqualification for Cork Man Read Post »

Three Old Irish Goats grazing on a hillside. Old Irish Goat

Old Irish Goat a 3,000‑Year‑Old Survivor of Ireland’s Bronze Age

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

The Old Irish Goat has been confirmed as one of Ireland’s oldest surviving livestock lineages.

Research led by University College Dublin, in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast and international partners saw a new biomolecular and archaeological study of this species published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The study findings reshapes the understanding of Ireland’s agricultural past and supports conservation of the Old Irish Goat as a living link to ancient farming communities.

Old Irish Goat a 3,000‑Year‑Old Survivor of Ireland’s Bronze Age Read Post »

Horse and donkey eating hay. CAB raid.

CAB Raid Uncovers Stable Horror – Meath Man Sentenced

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

A CAB raid led to an uncovering of a stable of horror involving shocking neglect of horses and ponies.

Geoffrey Lyons, 54, from Macetown, Tara, Co. Meath, received a two‑year custodial sentence and a ten‑year ban on keeping horses after pleading guilty to multiple counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, as well as a separate excise‑duty evasion offence.

The case unfolded after a Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) raid and search in March 2023 uncovered over €700,000 worth of illicit tobacco at Lyons’s home.

As part of the CAB raid, searches by the Garda Mounted Unit revealed severe equine neglect across two locations.

CAB Raid Uncovers Stable Horror – Meath Man Sentenced Read Post »

The European badger,. DAFM.

DAFM to Hire 200 Badger Killers

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

DAFM, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, are to hire 200 badger killers as part of its bTB eradication programme.

DAFM is seeking contractors who can supply around 200 trained operatives to carry out wildlife‑related TB control work across Ireland. The duties include capturing, shooting, and inspecting badgers, surveying badger setts, and assessing badger activity.

Contractors must be able to deploy operatives nationwide—primarily from September to June, though potentially year‑round—and must have the capacity to capture and kill 5,000 to 20,000 badgers annually.

DAFM to Hire 200 Badger Killers Read Post »

2025 greyhound kill figures. Irish Greyhound Industry.

Irish Greyhound Industry – The Killing Continues in 2025

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

The Irish greyhound industry continues to injure and kill greyhounds in pursuit of a gamble.

In 2025, 197 greyhounds were killed at greyhound racing stadiums tracks around Ireland.

In addition, 344 greyhounds suffered injuries at races between January and the end of December and more than half of them (191) were “euthanised” by track vets. The deaths of 6 other injured greyhounds are listed as racing fatalities.

The 197 deaths are the second highest since records began and just 5 less than last year’s record high of 202 deaths.

Irish Greyhound Industry – The Killing Continues in 2025 Read Post »

Anti-Hare Coursing Protest Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Hare Coursing.

Hare Coursing in Ireland – Campaign to Continue Until a Ban is Achieved

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

Hare coursing in Ireland will be banned.

That was the defiant message issued by anti-hare coursing organisations as around forty people protested outside Powerstown Park racecourse, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

The annual three day national festival of hare coursing was being held at this venue. First held in 1925, and organised by the Irish Coursing Club (established 1916) there have been only two years, 1968, coursing meeting not held to a Foot and Mount Disease outbreak, 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where hares were not used as gambling fodder at this Co. Tipperary racecourse.

During the two-hour demonstration, protestors held banners highlighting the cruelty of hare coursing and calling on the Irish government to save the Irish hare.

Hare Coursing in Ireland – Campaign to Continue Until a Ban is Achieved Read Post »

Red squirrel on a tree. Red squirrel.

Red Squirrel and Pine Marten Sightings Needed

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

Red squirrel and pine martens sightings are needed.

Members of the public are being asked to submit sightings of red squirrel or pine marten as part of a nationwide citizen science effort to track these animals across the island of Ireland

On the 21st January, to celebrate Red Squirrel Appreciation Day, the 2026 All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey was launched.

Led by researchers in University of Galway, Ulster Wildlife and the Vincent Wildlife Trust, the survey aims to map the latest distribution of red and grey squirrels, and the pine marten across the island of Ireland.

Members of the public are invited to record their sightings of the three species throughout 2026, helping researchers build a detailed picture of how their populations are changing.

Red Squirrel and Pine Marten Sightings Needed Read Post »

Sika Deer with Fawn. Ireland's Sika Deer.

Ireland’s Sika Deer Tagged as an Invasive Species

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

Ireland’s sika deer have now been officially classified by the European Union as an invasive species.

The species, long established in Ireland since its introduction in 1860, was added to the EU’s list of invasive alien species last summer, but the decision only became applicable to Ireland in recent days.

The designation obliges EU countries to eradicate, control, or prevent the spread of listed species.

The sika deer (Cervus Nippon), also known as the Northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to East Asia.

Four sika from Japan were imported into Ireland in 1860 and introduced to Lord Powerscourt’s Demense in Co. Wicklow. In 1865, three sika deer, one male and two female, from Powerscourt’s estate were sent to the Lord Kenmare’s Muckross estate in Co. Kerry.

Ireland’s Sika Deer Tagged as an Invasive Species Read Post »

3 cows in a grass field. Cork Farmer court case.

Cork Farmer Banned for 15 Years After “Shocking” Animal Neglect Case

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

A Cork farmer has been banned from owning animals for 15 years after a district court heard a Judge describing the level of animal neglect as shocking.

Denis O’Regan, (49) Dromaculling, Coachford, Co. Cork pleaded guilty to 30 charges relating to animal cruelty and neglect due to failures in basic farm management.

The case arose after Department of Agriculture (DAFM) inspectors discovered severe animal welfare breaches on his 170‑acre farm, including dozens of dead animals left to decompose.

Concerns about the farm first surfaced in 2020, shortly after O’Regan inherited the land from his late uncle.

Cork Farmer Banned for 15 Years After “Shocking” Animal Neglect Case Read Post »

Dail Vote 17th December 2025. Ban Foxhunting Campaign.

Ban Foxhunting Campaign to Continue Despite Dáil Vote Defeat

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

The ban foxhunting campaign continues.

That was the defiant message issued by animal rights organisations and supporters in response to Ruth Coppinger’s People Before Profit-Solidarity TD bill to outlaw foxhunting been defeated in the Dáil.

The Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025 was discussed for two hours in a Dáil sitting.

Later that evening, a vote was taken on the Bill which saw 124 TDs vote against and 24 voting for the Bill.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin imposed a whip on their TDs.

The proposed Bill aimed to amend the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which contains an exemption for hunting.

Ban Foxhunting Campaign to Continue Despite Dáil Vote Defeat Read Post »

Martin Heydon TD. animal welfare organisations

Animal Welfare Organisations Receive €6.4m from Santa Heydon

/
Please Share: Animal News Ireland News Articles 2026

Animal welfare organisations have received €6,434,803 under the 2025 Animal Welfare Grants Programme.

The funding was announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.

Ninety-four animal welfare organisations covering all types of animal rescue and rehabilitation support will be funded under the programme which sees a small increase in funding from last year.

In 2024, funding of €6 million was allocated to 101 animal welfare organisations

The Animal Welfare Grants Programme provides grants to support the operational activities of registered Animal Welfare Charities, to support them in the delivery of their animal care and animal welfare services.

Animal Welfare Organisations Receive €6.4m from Santa Heydon Read Post »

Scroll to Top