Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2014
14. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline a comprehensive proposal for dealing with the numbers of horses that are being abandoned and subsequently destroyed by county pounds, including the manner in which on the one hand, horse breeding incentives are organised, and on the other, re-homing costs of in excess of €1,000 are being levied by local authorities. [20219/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and the local authorities have been very proactive in dealing with the surplus and unwanted horses. The Control of Horses Act, 1996 was introduced to address serious problems being caused by straying horses wandering onto public roads and lands and posing risks to the public, especially motorists, young children and property (both public and private). Local authorities have responsibility for implementing the Act and I, as Minister for Agriculture, provide financial assistance under the Act to local authorities towards expenses incurred in implementation of the Act. I am pleased to say that my Department provided €3.025m to local authorities for this purpose in 2013.
Both I and my Department support all efforts towards re-homing of horses but, unfortunately, it is not possible to re-home all horses because of the substantial numbers involved and the cost of keeping a horse, including stabling facilities, veterinary expenses, feed and farriery fees. Nevertheless, my Department offers local authorities €200 towards the cost of re-homing each horse and, in an effort to ensure increased re-homing of unwanted horses, I have specifically increased funding for 2014 to those animal welfare organisations involved in horse welfare activities to ensure sufficient resources are available to cater for any difficulties arising in the area of horse welfare over the coming year. In this regard, the overall amount provided in respect of 2014 is €1.8m, of which €210,000 is being provided to both the ISPCA and the DSPCA to enable these organisations to continue their work in rescuing horses and absorb some costs associated with re-homing horses.
My Department continues to stress that it is the responsibility of horse owners to ensure the welfare of horses in their ownership and/or their care and to dispose of them appropriately. My Department will, in conjunction with the local authorities and An Garda Siochana, continue to adopt a pro-active approach in relation to horse welfare and will remove at-risk animals and, where appropriate, institute prosecution relating to any maltreatment of these animals. The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which places clear obligations on owners regarding the need to look after animals in their care. My Department has been operating an Animal Welfare Helpline for some time with a view to enabling persons who are concerned about the welfare of horses or indeed any animal to contact the Department at email animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie and on lo-call 1850 211 990.
I am pleased to be able to say that the over-supply situation has significantly eased in recent years following a substantial decline in the number of foals born in 2012 and 2013 and on-going high levels of slaughterings, leading to supply coming more into line with demand. Over the past month, I have attended a number of meetings arranged by HSI, Teagasc and the RDS, involving horse breeders with a view to drawing up a strategy for the sport horse industry. These meetings were well attended and stakeholders displayed a clear willingness to develop an economically viable and sustainable industry in the years ahead.
