Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 June 2022
228. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount that Ireland has given to the OIE World Organisation for Animal Health in 2020, 2021 and 2022; the programmes, if any, that are related to improving global standards of slaughter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34825/22]
View answerIreland has been a member of the Platform on Animal Welfare Steering Group of the OIE (recently re-named World Organisation for Animal Health, or WOAH) since the creation of the group in 2013. In 2017, my Department expressed interest in providing financial support to WOAH activities and initiatives on animal welfare under the framework of the WOAH Platform in the following areas: (a) slaughter of animals in the regions of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa, and (b) long-distance transport, including “whole journey scenario” by land and/or sea in inter-regional journeys.
The original agreement was for a four-year period, commencing in 2017. However, the programme was disrupted by Covid-19 and the WOAH requested that unspent funds allocated to the project be spent on completing the originally planned work programme. My Department agreed to this reasonable proposal.
Three instalments of €75,000 each were paid in the final quarters of 2017, 2018 and 2019. It is expected that the fourth and final instalment of €75,000 will be paid in 2023. The funding for this project is in addition to the annual membership fee of €133,845 which my Department pays to WOAH.
This funding illustrates my Department's commitment to animal health and welfare, supporting the work of the WOAH on these issues internationally.
