2026-03-25

Here we go again. I have raised the issue of wandering ill-treated horses many times over the years. It remains an ongoing and worsening concern in Limerick and other areas. Recently a horse was euthanised in a green area on a local estate in Limerick city. The very ill horse was abandoned on Friday, 13 March, unable to rise from the ground. A vet finally arrived on the Sunday and euthanised the horse, and the carcass of the horse was removed on the following day, Monday, 16 March, four days after the horse was abandoned. This incident started on Friday with a horse clearly dying, abandoned on a green area in the middle of a housing estate full of families. It was an ugly sight, particularly for children, to witness. While I appreciate the animal was finally removed, the incident highlights the plight of these animals, their mistreatment and the lack of enforcement of chip and pin and other urban horse legislation. There are no consequences for those who mistreat their animals. Legislation that is not enforced is not worth having. The Control of Horses Act is under review and has been for some time. I have submitted parliamentary questions on this, including one four years ago and one in October 2022. One response stated the Control of Horses Act is under review with a view to simplifying and further improving the legislation and that plans are advanced. Another response thanked me for raising the important topic and stated it is one the Minister takes very seriously but here we are, four years later, with no progress. I urge the Minister that when the legislation is amended that an enforcement mechanism is included. Allowing those who abuse, misuse and assault their animals to simply replace a dead horse with new foal must not be allowed to continue. Allowing people, often young children, to ride these horses on our national road network, delaying traffic and causing distress to the animals, must end. Allowing people to purchase horses and ponies without adhering to chip-and-pin legislation must end. Equine legislation requires that all horses are micro-chipped, have adequate land to graze on and are kept in a safe environment. This simply is not the case in many urban areas and has been ignored. The issue was raised in the Dáil almost 50 years ago by the late Limerick TD Mick Lipper, and it is this extremely disheartening and depressing that I have had to raise this issue myself on many occasions since I was first elected more than a decade ago. We have not got to grips with this challenge. The mistreatment of these poor animals has been tolerated for far too long. Some months ago I drove through three of Limerick's urban estates and during a 45-minute drive I encountered 50 horses. Many times since, I have noticed that the number of horses on the public green spaces has not changed whatsoever. The placement of horses in public spaces in more affluent areas would simply not be tolerated. Can we imagine a dead horse remaining in situ in a more affluent area? It would not have happened and it would not have been tolerated. It would not have been there for four or five days. Why are we expected to tolerate this in working class areas? Why is this acceptable? Green spaces should be available for all. They should be spaces where children can kick a ball and play. We need to reclaim our public spaces for everybody in the community. What we have in many urban estates are limited green spaces being claimed by a small few, who allow horses to graze on these public spaces. They often destroy them and prevent other children and other people from using them. These are community spaces and communities must be allowed to reclaim them. There is an important role for the local council and the Garda to play in addressing the issue of wandering urban horses but overall responsibility for the issue ultimately lies with the Minister and the Department. It is time to get heads together so a permanent solution can be found, and the people in these estates can reclaim their public spaces and we finally deal with the issue of urban horses being mistreated, wandering and causing stress and chaos in many parts of our cities.

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for raising this important matter. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for all policy and legislation in relation to the Control of Horses Act 1996. Operation of the Act comes under the remit of local authorities. Any report of welfare issues received by my Department, including breaches of the animal welfare legislation, is acted upon and investigated. Appropriate enforcement action where breaches or shortcomings are identified is undertaken by my Department and authorised officers are appointed under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including but not limited to An Garda Síochána, customs agents, local authorities and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, NSPCA. Primary responsibility for protecting the welfare of equines rests with the owner or keeper. Under the Control of Horses Act 1996, local authorities may take a range of actions in relation to equines, including prohibiting horses in certain areas, issuing licences and seizing horses in contravention of the Act. These powers can be used in respect of straying horses, which includes horses put on land without the owner's permission, including public land as Deputy Quinlivan has described. Local authorities may also prosecute offenders. While my Department provides financial support to help local authorities with the costs of these seizures, local authorities are responsible for the operation of the Control of Horses Act. My Department collects information from local authorities on a quarterly basis in respect of the overall number of equines seized by them. The number of horses seized in Limerick in 2025 was 70. This number is down from 2024, when the number of horses seized was 87. The Government is fully committed to supporting sustainable initiatives in line with the programme for Government and Working Together for Animal Welfare, which is Ireland's animal welfare strategy for 2021 to 2025, with work progressing on the replacement strategy. As part of this commitment, my Department has continued to support urban horse projects nationwide, working with local authorities, charities and community stakeholders. These projects have proven very successful and are aimed specifically at equine welfare and marginalised communities. The projects can foster community leadership and education in responsible horse ownership for young people. An exemplar project of note is one which Deputy Quinlivan is familiar with. This is the Moyross project, which has been in operation since 2016 and has helped so many young people from disadvantaged communities. From 2015 to date, over €2.1 million has been spent on urban horse projects by my Department, with €170,000 allocated for these projects in 2026. The urban horse projects greatly benefit the welfare of equines and of young people from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds. There are seven live projects and my Department would welcome new submissions from local authorities to develop urban horse projects in their respective areas. In December 2025, my Department awarded funding of almost €6.5 million to 94 animal welfare charities throughout the country, under the animal welfare grants programme. Of that figure, just over €4 million was awarded to charities involved in the care and welfare of horses. More generally, in 2025 my Department published a report by Professor Paddy Wall on equine traceability and welfare, and has also prepared an action plan to implement its recommendations. The report by Professor Wall, which has 22 actions, is greatly advanced. I am working closely to ensure its implementation across a whole range of measures relating to urban horses and equines, and otherwise. What happens in this area is important. We completed a public consultation on the Department's animal welfare strategy in January. I am collating the many submissions we got on that. Equine welfare has featured in some of those points. That will feed into our new animal welfare strategy for 2026 to 2030.

I thank the Minister for his response. I will seek clarification on the number of horses collected, year on year. The reason they are not being collected is that the local authorities have, in many cases, simply stopped collecting them. They will say that themselves. When we collect horses in Limerick, for example, we need to ensure we have gardaí available and that the pound is available. The pound is only able to collect four horses. Gardaí tell us it is not worth their while coming out to collect four horses so the collection of horses has simply collapsed. It is not that there are fewer horses there. Unfortunately, there are far more horses there. The Minister will have to come to see it for himself to believe what is going on. I have tried to bring people together on this issue. I recently attended a meeting with the directly elected mayor and the director general and their staff to discuss this issue. I provided them with the detail of the numerous parliamentary questions I have asked over the years on this ongoing issue. I am sure the mayor, like the rest of the council, wants to see this matter addressed, but the direction and leadership must come from the Department. It comes back to providing resources to ensure the enforcement of the legislation. The level of impunity can be frustrating for so many people. I know that many urban horse owners do not mistreat their animals and care for them. There are some fantastic urban horse projects, as the Minister mentioned, across the State where those with an affinity for animals can learn how to care for them and do so with pride. I have no issue with those good horse owners whatsoever. However, I take massive issue with those who abuse their animals, leave them shackled day and night and unable to roam, often with no water or food, regardless of the weather. I take issue with the legislation that is there to protect these animals not being enforced. Some will argue that the keeping of ponies and horses is a tradition but, to be clear, riding horses through our public spaces and wrecking them is not a tradition or culture. It is a display of lawlessness and an affront to those who abide by the rules. We need a solution. We need to bring together all the stakeholders, such as horse owners, An Garda Síochána, Limerick council, animal welfare organisations, projects such as My Lovely Horse and the Department of agriculture, to work to set a timeframe - I would suggest six months - after which horses will not roam in public areas in Limerick. We need a change of direction here. The hands-off approach has not worked. We must take the reins and ensure we finally address this issue.

I thank the Deputy for his dedication to this topic. He has raised it on more than one occasion. I absolutely agree that this issue merits attention. From my perspective, there is no shortage of resources being put in from my side. I take on board the Deputy's points about co-ordination. I am happy to work with other stakeholders - the Deputy mentioned An Garda Síochána, the county council and the different entities - to ensure we have a targeted response in key areas. I agree that there are as many people who are passionate about their horses in urban areas as there are in rural areas and they care for them greatly. However, in normal, everyday society, we need to have a clear understanding of what is acceptable activity and what is unacceptable activity in our urban areas, where many people live and share common spaces, and beyond. More important than that, and the legislation is clearly set down and comes under my Department, is the welfare of animals. We have lead responsibility for that issue. I take animal welfare seriously and committed to the policy that animal welfare standards are rigorously applied in a fair and even-handed manner. It can sometimes be about the need for additional measures to be legislated for in this House. It is sometimes about the implementation of legislation that exists. With the local authorities, the other relevant authorities and the Garda, there is a key role to play. My Department keeps animal welfare legislation under review with respect to the developments in the area of animal welfare and the practical lessons learned from operating the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department also operates a confidential animal welfare helpline, through which members of the public can report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation. We work with all the relevant stakeholders in that regard. I thank the Deputy for raising these points.