Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 April 2023
58. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update in relation to work being done by Government and local authorities to combat dog attacks on sheep; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18576/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI ask for an update regarding any work being done, or any proposals, relating to the Government or local authorities combating the issue of dog attacks on sheep.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. In late 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was tasked with leading a cross-government review of legislation regarding dogs. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I held a meeting in early January and asked officials to convene a working group on the issue. The terms of reference of the group are published on gov.ie. The working group examined issues related to dog control and made a number of recommendations for action.
The report of the group was approved by the Government and is also available on gov.ie. The report's recommendations include increasing on-the-spot fines in relation to offences under the Control of Dogs Act. My officials are currently drafting the necessary statutory instruments to effect this change as soon as possible. It is my firm intention to significantly increase the fines regarding dogs which are not in effectual control and, therefore, at risk of worrying livestock. The report also proposed increasing the number of local authority dog wardens nationally. This action is necessary to ensure increased enforcement of penalties and act as a deterrent to irresponsible dog ownership. This recommendation will now be progressed in the context of annual budgetary processes.
My officials will continue to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to co-ordinate efforts in the area of dog control and related issues across government. I look forward to engaging with stakeholders as we progress this important work.
Can we get some information regarding the timeline for those statutory instruments? When will we see them in operation? Are any changes proposed from a legislative point of view? I have never been exactly sure what "in effectual control" means. I accept we are creating a set of rules regarding irresponsible dog owners. Where we have good dog owners, responsible people and good manners, we do not have this particular issue.
An example I brought up previously was that of the Cooley Mountains. In fairness to dog wardens in Louth County Council, they and the Garda have been out publicly. Some of that is about highlighting the issue that exists for farmers and ensuring that dogs are under control when they are on the Cooley Mountains or in any other rural area. Enforcement will always be difficult in those particular areas. As I said, are we looking at anything from a legislative point of view? What is the timeline for that?
We are going to do a number of things. I will explain the term "in effectual control" because I was not sure what it was either. It means dog owners are required to keep their dogs under effectual control at all times. It is very apparent when a dog is not under control and it is important dog wardens have a degree of discretion in applying this definition. I acknowledge the work of dog wardens. It is not an easy job to be fair to them.
This issue crosses three Departments. My Department's priorities are to increase on-the-spot fines for offences, such as dogs that are not under control; add the Presa Canario breed to the list of restricted breeds for which regulations are being drafted; substantially increase penalties for all offences under the Control of Dogs Acts, to which amendments are being prepared; funding a targeted neutering scheme for dogs; and convening a stakeholders group. We want to keep in touch with stakeholders. Many farmers are out there. There is nothing worse for them than having sheep or livestock savaged by dogs.
Local authorities have to increase the number of dog wardens, who must be trained because it is a difficult situation. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is amending the dog microchipping regulations and guidance on rehoming biting dogs, in addition to revising the Animal Health and Welfare Act. There are then the joint actions.
We want to encourage responsible dog ownership. I thank an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for his indulgence.
Everyone would welcome a considerable number of those moves. Like I said, enforcement and on-the spot-fines can be difficult to put in place. We want to see a greater level of microchipping. Many of us have often spoken in this Chamber about the maintenance of databases. Some of this would need to happen on an all-Ireland basis. In the Minister's constituency and in my own, there are particular issues that are impacted by partition even in this regard. If we could be operating some of these on an all-island basis, that would definitely make sense. Engagement with stakeholders is an absolute necessity.
I threw out the idea of in effectual control because we have been given the examples where people would have gone out with large dogs. We can get into the ins and outs with particular breeds but in some cases, they could have very long leads and then that asks the question of what in effectual control is. I accept that there is discretion, but I would like to think there would be guidelines. Again, if we had good manners, we would not need half of these rules. We also have to make sure this issue is publicised.
The Deputy is correct; sometimes the training means training the dog owners. They would want to be under control sometimes too. If they are treated properly and well, dogs are a wonderful companion for anybody. We all have our own dogs of whom we are very fond. However, not to take care of dogs and let them out of control and allow them to worry sheep or chase after livestock is irresponsible. We are going to have a media campaign around responsible dog ownership. We will look also at the recommendations of the joint Oireachtas committee report on dog control. It is, therefore, a sort of multifaceted approach. There are a number of different things we can do.
I do not want to be too prescriptive in terms of effectual control. We need to give the dog warden a bit of latitude because there are all different types, sizes and breeds of dogs. We need to make sure of certain things, however. I am totally against dogs that are bred to fight and so on. That is completely cruel and wrong. There is much legislation in place, but we want to tidy up and focus on a few other things to make it better.
