My Department provides funding to Local Authorities under the Control of Horses Act, 1996, to enable these bodies implement their powers relating to the control and welfare of stray or abandoned horses. While efforts are made to rehome horses to responsible new owners, the reality is that this is not possible in all cases. The advice from the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (which comprises representatives from a wide range of stakeholder organisations including farming, equine and welfare bodies) is to humanely dispose of horses, where no possibility of re-homing or returning to owner exists.
There are rare occasions in which my Department’s Veterinary inspectors would on animal welfare grounds require a herd owner to humanely dispose of animals, including horses on farms.
Details of horses humanely disposed by Local Authorities in 2011 and 2012 are set out below. Statistics on the number of these horses which were in foal at the time of slaughter is not available.
|
Name of County/City Council
|
No. Horses Seized 2011
|
No. of Horses Euthanised 2011
|
No. Horses Seized 2012
|
No. of Horses Euthanised 2012
|
|
Carlow
|
18
|
0
|
27
|
22
|
|
Cavan
|
10
|
0
|
9
|
0
|
|
Clare
|
50
|
41
|
66
|
60
|
|
Cork
|
267
|
115
|
212
|
78
|
|
Donegal
|
0
|
0
|
20
|
15
|
|
Dublin
|
845
|
583
|
785
|
635
|
|
Galway
|
52
|
46
|
134
|
109
|
|
Kerry
|
28
|
16
|
21
|
12
|
|
Kildare
|
103
|
32
|
130
|
92
|
|
Kilkenny
|
91
|
28
|
80
|
58
|
|
Laois
|
185
|
52
|
243
|
222
|
|
Leitrim
|
40
|
37
|
18
|
18
|
|
Limerick
|
372
|
276
|
338
|
299
|
|
Longford
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
|
Louth
|
8
|
6
|
39
|
25
|
|
Mayo
|
193
|
95
|
200
|
30
|
|
Meath
|
83
|
36
|
84
|
53
|
|
Monaghan
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
|
Offaly
|
59
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Roscommon
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
|
Sligo
|
81
|
56
|
34
|
15
|
|
Tipperary
|
153
|
58
|
142
|
118
|
|
Waterford
|
21
|
18
|
45
|
23
|
|
Westmeath
|
96
|
54
|
109
|
81
|
|
Wexford
|
30
|
0
|
63
|
43
|
|
Wicklow
|
138
|
34
|
151
|
100
|
|
Totals
|
2936
|
1592
|
2969
|
2123
|
