Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014
541. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on any initiatives with regard to dealing with abandoned horses and the excessive numbers that are destroyed. [26101/14]
View answerHorse owners have a duty to ensure the welfare of horses in their ownership and/or their care and to dispose of them appropriately. On a regulatory level, local authorities have responsibility under the Control of Horses Act, 1996 for dealing with straying and abandoned horses. My Department makes a contribution to local authority towards implementation of the Act and in this regard local authorities were paid over €3m in 2013 to assist with horses and to support their efforts towards re-homing of horses found abandoned. My Department also assists animal rescue/welfare organisations in their work in horse welfare activities. These organisations involved in horse welfare had their ex-gratia funding significantly increased in respect of 2014.
I have also indicated that my Department will also work on initiatives to assist horse welfare including facilitating stallion castration programmes in an effort to reduce indiscriminate breeding and unwanted foal births. Assistance can also be provided to local authorities for urban/traveller horse projects which promote horse welfare through provision of training programmes in horse management and welfare.
New regulations on transfer of ownership of horses, which come into effect on 1 July next, combined with the new regulations on equine identification, will improve the ability of the various state agencies to trace ownership of horses. The regulations place obligations on both the person transferring ownership and the person to whom ownership is transferred to maintain up to date ownership records.
My Department will continue to work with other Departments and other relevant agencies, including animal welfare groups in an effort to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected and the new Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. I am confident that the new Act, along with the recent legislation on the registration of equine premises, equine identification and transfer of ownership will help to reduce abandonment of horses and facilitate a more effective implementation of horse welfare legislation.
