Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 February 2024
69. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to address the issue of unchipped horses wandering in urban settings, considering the Department does not maintain a centralised database in relation to levels of non-compliance for failure to microchip equines or the number of horses impounded. [5644/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra76. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to tackle the issues of maltreated and unchipped horses in Limerick’s urban areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8360/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 76 together.
Compliance with equine identification rules is delivered through a variety of tools across a number of government departments and agencies.
In the first instance, the relevant legislation which deals with the issue of straying horses is The Control of Horses Act 1996. This legislation is implemented by local authorities and provides them with powers enabling them to appoint authorised officers under the Act.
In terms of enforcement on the ground, enforcement is carried out by personnel in my Department working in Regional Offices. These officers work closely with their colleagues in the Local Authorities and An Garda Síochána and Revenue Commissioners Officials as required.
The extent of straying equines has reduced significantly and consistently in recent years. Almost 5,000 horses were seized in 2014 reducing to 295 in 2023.
Where equine animals are located, including straying animals, my Department’s policy is to adopt a fair and proportional approach. Authorised officers engage with keepers to ensure that they understand their responsibilities and where potential breaches of the legislation are identified, they generally provide an opportunity for non-compliant keepers to rectify the position within a specified time frame before issuing a compliance notice where necessary.
The Control of Horses Act is currently under review within my Department and plans for replacement legislation are well advanced. The Department undertook a limited stakeholder consultation late last year on the legislation with submissions sought by November 2023. These are being examined and will feed into the legislative process.
I am fully committed to supporting sustainable initiatives in line with the Programme for Government and Working Together for Animal Welfare, Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 and I continue to support urban horse projects nationwide. These projects can foster community leadership and education in responsible horse ownership for young people from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds. There are currently eight live projects. In October 2023, my Department hosted a seminar dedicated to the promotion of the urban horse projects.
In December 2023, I announced the record allocation of €6 million in funding to 101 animal welfare charities throughout the country, under the Animal Welfare Grant Programme. Of that figure, almost €3.4 million was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses.
Finally, in July 2023 I launched a new online portal that allows members of the public to check whether an equine is recorded on the central equine database. The portal allows visitors to check whether an equine passport number or microchip number is valid. The portal promotes compliance with equine identification rules by equipping potential purchasers with a means of checking whether a horse is compliant thereby creating an incentive for sellers to ensure any horses they are selling are properly identified and registered.
