I thank the Chairman for arranging the meeting and the clerk to the committee, Mr. Eoin Faherty, for organising it. I thank the joint committee for its correspondence with regard to same. The Dog Breeders Association of Ireland is most appreciative of the time and effort required to arrange this meeting.
We attend today to represent the members of the Dog Breeders Association of Ireland, North and South. Our main objective is to improve the conditions for all dog breeders involved in the industry and eradicate cruelty in this area. We will speak initially about the importance of the Department of Agriculture and Food to the industry and the requirement that it accept dog breeding within its area of responsibility for the benefit of private breeding, the greyhound industry and dog breeding in general. For this reason, we ask the Minister to transfer responsibility for dogs from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the Department of Agriculture and Food.
Dog breeding in Ireland is mainly a rural enterprise. More than 90% of those involved are small farmers or farmers' wives who use the additional income it generates to support their families and pay college fees. A dog breeder may be a small farmer who needs to subsidise his income for the purpose of educating his children, putting them through college or meeting other costs. Most breeders need to subsidise their farming income.
A significant number of older people who are unable to farm large animals but able to manage smaller animals also become involved in breeding to earn income. We encourage widows and single, divorced and separated women in rural areas to breed dogs to gain an income without having to leave young children. It is necessary to fill the space in the rural community in which farming was once the main source of income for women and men.
Our main objective, in addition to those I have outlined, is to request that the Minister rewrite the section in planning legislation to allow the keeping of dogs under agricultural structures, class 6, that is, works consisting of a roofed structure for the housing of cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, horses, deer, rabbits, poultry and dogs. As in our previous correspondence, we have explained the difficulties with regard to planning issues. A considerable number of agricultural sheds lie empty and could be put to use for breeding purposes. This would provide small farmers with an opportunity to obtain extra income legitimately.
The dog food industry is worth more than €40 million per annum in the Republic. Dog breeding, including, for example, the need for vaccinations and other work, forms a vital part of the income of rural veterinary surgeons. It is a multi-million euro industry, providing significant income to veterinary surgeons working with small animals. Employment in this area alone has a major effect on the rural economy.
The revenue obtained from dog food is of considerable importance to the Government, as private breeders do not benefit from the reduced VAT rate available to the greyhound industry. Redmills, Gain and other feed companies obtain considerable income from the dog breeding industry. For these reasons alone, we need to improve dog breeding to continue to generate employment in the industry.
As an association involved in the breeding of dogs, we are appalled by some of the cases reported on television and other media. Anyone who keeps an animal in inhumane conditions should lose the right to keep animals and, in some cases, the owners should be prosecuted. Sometimes, however, people take in stray animals or purchase them simply for the purpose of rescuing them. This creates a grey area which needs to be treated with caution and requires traceability on the part of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and voluntary groups. There is no need for animals to be treated in this way, given that veterinary treatment is readily available at a cost acceptable to most people.
True dog breeders have always looked after their animals and the cost of providing due care is not important to them. Most professional breeders always have a veterinary surgeon available to their kennels, with even private animal lovers availing of veterinary help. A small minority of breeders has brought the activity into disrepute and damaged the reputation of breeders in general. Dog breeding must be controlled by reputable associations such as the DBAI or others working in the field.
We are all aware of considerable negative press about dog breeding. While some of this is justified, much of it is biased and incorrect. The media seldom represent legitimate dog breeders in their coverage. They have, however, successfully damaged the integrity of legitimate dog breeders. It is our aim is to correct this by improving the welfare of dogs bred in this country.
Recent raids on puppy farms and the ensuing media circus have damaged the reputation of dog breeders. Since this media onslaught, we have been made aware that Irish dogs will not be accepted in certain areas of the United Kingdom. This is the reason we want to improve and legitimise dog breeding and to show the overseas market that Irish breeders can produce dogs of high quality, with lineage and traceability.
Why was it necessary for the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to come to the South? Why were the dogs seized during the recent raids brought into the jurisdiction of the North from the Republic? This matter could have been handled in a different manner without the aid of the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Irish legislation was disregarded in these raids and we believe the law may have been broken. Unfortunately, legislation was not readily available with regard to the Dogs Act 1986 and the public were unaware that the ISPCA has no power of entry without the aid of either a garda or a dog warden.
Through our association, the appropriate authorities were notified, received the relevant legislation and were made aware that laws must strictly be adhered to. It is not acceptable to break the law. We found the Garda Síochána to be of great assistance in these matters and we worked well with gardaí eventually. We thank them for their assistance.
Why did the ISPCA involve the USPCA in the seizing of Irish dogs? Why were the dogs brought into the Northern jurisdiction? The USPCA's biased and partisan treatment of breeders in the Irish Republic is not acceptable to Irish citizens. We now have to reverse the terrible damage caused to the legitimate breeders by improving conditions in order that such circumstances cannot arise in the future.
The animal protection organisations need to retain their voluntary status only and should be strictly regulated by the Government. We will submit this request to the Minister. We would like to work in the same area as the ISPCA in eradicating the keeping of dogs in cruel or inhumane conditions. The Dog Breeders Association of Ireland should self-govern its members and work to ensure cruelty to dogs is eradicated. In vetting our members, we could free up valuable time for the ISPCA to allow it to pursue genuine cases of cruelty. We ask the ISPCA to contact us if any query arises in connection with our members. We would then investigate the matter with our veterinary surgeon. There should be sufficient self-governing bodies in the Republic to ensure there is no need for the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to come South and enforce laws.
Our main aim is to improve dog breeding. The association has a number of veterinary surgeons willing to work with it and intends to invite several others to do so too. All members follow our code of ethics and veterinary approval is required for each breeder's premises. No breeder is allowed to join without a veterinary certificate, which is included in the presentation. We would like to set up a national database for all breeding stock using microchips. This would ensure good quality puppies and dogs and traceability as regards lineage and breeders.
With funding, we would appoint inspectors to work and help breeders to improve and develop their kennels and premises. We would ensure our breeders are inspected regularly and the conditions of the premises involved kept appropriately. Exercise areas would be appropriate to each particular breed of dog and subject to a veterinary surgeon's recommendation.
It is our aim to make sure only quality puppies are exported. A great imbalance is evident in the control and monitoring of the shipping of pedigree dogs from Ireland via aircraft or boat. Most of the cruelty problems which arise are in connection with transport by sea. No regulations are in force regarding the shipping of dogs and we would like to see improvements in this area. At present, this leaves open to abuse the shipping of puppies to one of the main markets, Great Britain.
We have a number of suggestions to put forward to regulate this situation. All transport containers should be large enough to permit dogs to stand up, turn around and lie down with ease, similar to IATA regulations. Container size should be specified for individual animals, according to breed, puppy size, etc. The number of animals permitted in each container should require regulation similar to that of the IATA.
Dogs that are exported should be microchipped for the purposes of identification, traceability, health records, vaccinations and travel documents. All exporters should provide fresh food, water and bedding at all times. Dogs should be fed and watered in accordance with Department of Agriculture and Food regulations.
Rules should also apply for dogs being exported by air. The crate in which a dog travels should be airline-approved. Food and water should be available at all times. Extra food and water should travel separately. No more than two puppies should be allowed per crate and the crate must be large enough for them to be able to stand and turn without any difficulty. All puppies should carry a veterinary health certificate and vaccination record. Puppies going to EU countries or getting a connecting flight in an EU country should be microchipped. Paperwork giving details of breed, age, and the name of both consignee and consignor should be stamped by the Department of Agriculture and Food. Should a problem arise at the airport in connection with paperwork or conditions, puppies should not be allowed to travel.
We are interested in being involved in the formulation of legislation that would greatly improve the conditions, traceability and welfare of puppies. This would also help to address the negative image prevalent in the British media towards Irish puppies and dog breeders. We believe there is an underlying agenda with regard to same. The importation of puppies from Ireland is causing market pressure on the UK breeders of pedigree puppies. It would be a lot easier for them if puppies were not imported from here.
It has come to our attention that a number of legitimate shippers from Ireland have been held for questioning by UK police and port officials. Some have been held for hours on end under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. This is not acceptable treatment of decent Irish citizens.
Dog breeding is an honourable and legitimate small rural enterprise and should get every help from the State to develop and assist breeders. We thank the former Minister, Deputy Cullen, for inviting us to become involved with the new dog breeding review group. For the benefit of all dog breeders in Ireland, we want to ensure that only the best puppies are exported to the UK, the Continent and worldwide.
