Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
1191. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farm inspections carried out in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52431/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraBased on clarification by the Deputy that this query relates to on-farm welfare inspections, the number of such inspections in each of the years in question is set out below:
2016: 764 inspections
2017: 1669 inspections
2018: 2263 inspections
2019: 1947 inspections
2020: 1761 inspections
2021 (to date) : 1073 inspections.
The above welfare inspections are carried out by my Departments veterinary and technical staff for a variety of reasons. The majority are carried out to ensure compliance with relevant EU and national legislation, with farms selected on the basis of random selection or based on risk criteria. The maintenance of high animal welfare standards in Ireland, as set out in Ireland's first animal welfare strategy (Working together for Animal Welfare: Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025) remains a key priority for my Department.
