Clare Daly
Question:323. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to phase out or preferably ban the use of shock collars and shock fencing for domestic animals. [22519/19]
View answerTuesday, 28 May 2019
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Under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, a person is prohibited from causing unnecessary pain or suffering or endangering the health and welfare of any animal. The Act also provides that a person having possession of an animal must ensure that the animal is kept in a manner that safeguards its health and welfare.
S.I. No. 108 of 2014 provides for a ban on electro-immobilisation by means of any electrical equipment of an instrument which applies a sustained electric current or impulse directly to a live animal. Electrical stimulation or shock collars for training dogs are designed to produce lower stimuli lasting milliseconds rather than produce a sustained electric current. This is in line with the current position of scientific research on the use of shock collars.