Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 March 2018
228. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if data is gathered via microchips or DNA samples as to the breed categories of the 9,000 horses and ponies seized under the Control of Horses Act 1996 in each of the years 2014 to 2017, such as thoroughbred, warmbloods, sport horses, Connemara ponies, Kerry bog ponies and so on. [13341/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Control of Horses Act 1996 details powers available to local authorities for the control and welfare of horses. Evidence from the local authorities indicates that the majority of horses seized under the Act are not microchipped and while owners of seized horses are given five days to reclaim their horses, very few are in fact reclaimed. The legislation governing equine identification provides that all equines must be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal; there is no requirement for equines identified prior to 1 July 2009 to have a transponder implanted.
The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 places an obligation on all those in charge of an animal to meet the animal’s needs. Horses impounded under the Control of Horses Act are often in a very poor state and invariably have not been identified by their owners. Taking DNA samples from these animals for testing would be a prohibitive cost to the taxpayer and has limited value in the absence of an existing library of DNA samples against which to compare.
The Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) advises all horse owners to adhere to the legal requirement for all horses to be identified and in possession of a valid passport and reiterate that it is the responsibility of horse owners throughout the country to ensure the welfare of horses in their care. Cases of horse cruelty and abandonment should be forwarded to the Animal Welfare Helpline for investigation email animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie.
