Louth TD Erin McGreehan has called for the setting up of a dedicated office and national director for Animal Welfare under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Marine and Food (DAFM).
The Fianna Fáil TD made the call as she is concerned about dog welfare issues, including the conduct of puppy farms.
Ms McGreehan has raised animal welfare issues in the Dáil. In a recent Parliamentary Question, she asked the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, if he would establish a national office for animal welfare and appoint a National Director to develop, coordinate and implement animal welfare policies.
In response, Minister Heydon said existing Irish animal welfare legislation provide animal welfare safeguards and that he had no plans to establish a dedicated animal welfare office within his department. He said: “The programme for government places a positive emphasis on animal welfare and specifically commits to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare.
“I am satisfied that these measures provide a comprehensive framework and sufficient safeguards to ensure the welfare of animals and I have no plans to set up any other authority,” he added.
Raising Animal Welfare Issues
Despite this political rebuff, Erin McGreehan said she will raise the issue in the next sitting of the Dáil.
She said: “I want to ensure that we tackle the issues such as abandonment, unsafe breeding and unregulated puppy farms. It is gut wrenching to hear of innocent and defenceless animals being treated so poorly, and we must crack down on it.
“That is why I feel a dedicated office and national director for animal welfare would be of great benefit at targeting these issues.”
The Louth TD appreciates and acknowledges the hard work of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on animal welfare issues, but believes more can be done.
“I acknowledge the hard work of the Department on ensuring that animal welfare standards are vigorously applied. Stakeholders and authorised officers such as An Garda Síochána, Customs agents, local authorities, the ISPCA and the DSPCA, undertake any enforcement action, where breaches or shortcomings are identified.”
She stated, “I cannot express enough concern over the scale of the current crisis, particularly in relation to unregulated breeding and abandonment. I believe we should have a dedicated office and national director for animal welfare to deal with these issues appropriately and in a timely manner.”
Erin McGreehan said that animal welfare issues are important to her and will continue to highlight the plight of animals in this country. She urges any member of the pubic who have animal welfare concerns to contact the DAFM helpline, or a relevant local animal welfare organisation.
To report any animal welfare concerns:
Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine
Animal Welfare Division
T: 01 6072379
E: animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie
ISPCA’s National Animal Cruelty Helpline on 0818 515 515
Report online at: https://ispca.ie/report-cruelty
E:helpline@ispca.ie.
Get in Touch
If you have a tip for an animal welfare issue, an animal news article, a press release, or just want to just reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you. John Tierney, Animal News Ireland/Editor