Councillor Andrew McGuinness has called on Minister Phil Hogan to speed up the legislation on puppy farms in Ireland and he criticised the Government’s failure to implement the legislation which was passed by the Oireachtas last year.
“Tuesday night’s programme on TV3 highlighted the cruel reality of puppy farms in Ireland and the horrific nature of them. All over the country, puppies are being bred in filthy conditions, with no exercise or socialisation. Unscrupulous puppy farmers are making money from animals which are destined to have ongoing physical and emotional problems,” said Cllr Andrew McGuinness.
“We are being branded the ‘puppy farm capital of the Europe’, with Irish farms currently exporting about 30,000 dogs to the UK. Ex-puppy farm dogs can have a whole range of issues ranging from health complications due to poor breeding and unsanitary conditions to behavioural problems due to lack of socialisation. The breeding dams (the mothers ) often spend their whole lives in small pens churning out litter after litter with little or no exercise, natural light or even fresh air,” he said.
“The ISPCA and other animal welfare organisations are severely hampered in their efforts to prevent such cruelty because Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has failed to sign the necessary commencement orders to give effect to the new legislation. This legislation, drawn up by the previous Government, is ready to go and has widespread approval. It would bring about higher standards in dog breeding, outlawing some of the current cruel practices. The delays in implementing this are completely unnecessary,” said Cllr McGuinness.
"I am calling on Minister Hogan to implement the new legislation without delay. I am also urging him to take other steps to tackle animal cruelty in Ireland and to help reduce the number of unwanted dogs in the country,” Cllr Andrew McGuinness.
“Dogs are not cattle and farming them like cattle is unethical and cruel. The issue has been debated for long enough and at this stage all the loopholes should be well and truly addressed. All that is needed now is for Minister Hogan to sign the legislation. This needs to be stopped now and Minister Hogan must do so as a matter of urgency,” concluded Cllr McGuinness.
