Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine publishes report on Issues Impacting Dog Welfare in Ireland

Launching the report, Deputy Jackie Cahill, Cathaoirleach of the Committee, said: “Dogs have a key place in the heart of homes throughout Ireland. They bring joy and add value to peoples’ lives as loyal companions. Due to the pandemic, with many people working from home, there has been a significant increase in the demand for dogs in recent years. With this increase of dog ownership, public awareness of dog welfare issues and knowledge of the responsibilities of owning a dog as a pet needs be highlighted to ensure that dogs are born into and live in healthy, happy environments.”

In 2021 as part of its Work Programme the Committee agreed to begin a post-enactment scrutiny of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 with a focus on canine welfare issues in particular. During the process of scrutiny, examination of canine welfare issues and related legislation was expanded to cover a wide range of issues in relation to canine welfare.

The Committee held six days of hearings between June 2021 and May 2022 and engaged with various stakeholder groups with experience in the canine sector and policy. Topics examined by the Committee in these meetings included:  

Canine Artificial Insemination & Canine Fertility Clinics;

• Ear Cropping of Dogs;
• Microchipping of Dogs;
• Sale & Supply of Dogs; and
• Dog Breeding Establishments.

Alongside the 2013 Act, the Committee also examined the following legislation relating to canine welfare:

• Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019;
• Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015;
• Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010; and
• Control of Dogs Act 1986.

Deputy Cahill said: “As part of its work programme, the Committee believed that it was important to examine a number of issues which impact dog welfare in Ireland including ear cropping, microchipping and the sale and supply of dogs. In particular the Committee heard concerning reports of the increase of canine fertility services performed by non-veterinary practitioners to meet the current market demand. From the series of hearings, it became clear that key issues need to be addressed to improve the welfare of dogs in Ireland.”

The key recommendations made by the Committee are that:

• Owning dogs with cropped ears should be banned due to the emotional and physical pain a dog suffers during and as a result of this procedure. This would require an amnesty period and an information campaign to inform the public of the impact of the procedure on dogs.
• Canine fertility services should be regulated in order to prevent such services being carried out by untrained people and to prosecute illegal occurrences of these practises.
• Surgical Artificial Insemination of dogs should be banned due to the risks involved to dogs, even when performed in a controlled, sterile and surgical environment;
• All local authorities, which are responsible for operational oversight in relation to the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, make their register of Dog Breeding Establishments readily available online and accessible to the public; the Committee believes there should be a standard approach to how the registers are maintained and accessed by the public, with a central online database.
• The ratio of one fulltime staff member to 25 breeding female dogs in Dog Breeding Establishments in the DRCD guidelines needs to be reconsidered.
• A maximum limit of breeding females permitted at a DBE should be introduced to ensure a better quality of welfare for the dogs.
• Information inputted into the dog microchip system should be standardised to include date of birth, breed, colour, markings, gender, and owner contact details; filling out this required data to a standard quality should be enforced.
• Information held on Ireland’s four microchip databases should be stored and collated in one central online portal held by DAFM that authorised officers and canine welfare organisations can access. This should be regularly updated to include transfer of ownership or when a dog has died.
• The Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022 should be passed to update the dog licencing system as it is currently an inadequate means to prove ownership of a dog which is a loophole that can be exploited.
• All five pieces of legislation should be brought under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM); currently three Acts fall under DAFM and two Acts fall under the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).

Deputy Cahill said: “With regard to Dog Breeding Establishments, the Committee believes the current ratio is impractical when the reality of the number of dogs that the staff member is caring for is significantly higher when the number of puppies birthed at the DBE is included. We also heard that there are some DBEs with upwards of 500 breeding females, a considerable number of dogs in one place without even including the number of the other dogs on these premises such as puppies and sires.”

Deputy Cahill concluded: “I would like to thank Members for their commitment in bringing forward this important report. On behalf of the Committee, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to every stakeholder that came before us. The evidence they provided and their engagement with the Committee at these hearings were critical to the development of this report. From these meetings, the shared commitment of all stakeholders in adhering to and improving the welfare of dogs in Ireland was evident.”

The report Issues Impacting Dog Welfare in Ireland is available on the Oireachtas website.

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.