Animal Welfare

611. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the mistreatment of horses in County Clare (details supplied); the steps he is taking to ensure that those who are responsible for this cruelty are held accountable; to outline the legislation that is in place to protect animals when they are involved in events such as fairs; and if …

650. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any plans to appoint a national director of animal welfare. [31865/25]

450. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the results of his Department’s consultation on surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds will be made publicly available given that they were referenced in the September 2024 meeting minutes of the Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare (details supplied); and when the ban on surgical artificial insemi…

458. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the work of the Dog Control Stakeholder Group as the Group announced an intention to produce an interim report in Q1 2025 before producing a final report in Q4 2025. [31658/25]

461. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of calls or reports to the dedicated e-mail address and helpline in place for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare (details supplied). [31661/25]

1102. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if intensive agriculture and larger herd sizes have increased TB rates in cattle, the measures he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29397/25]

1109. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will increase the rebate paid to local authorities for horse welfare and impounding instances given the current cost far outweighs the rebate paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29551/25]

1115. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm that charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and the Control of Horses Act 1996 will be pursued against those responsible for the abuses found to have occurred at Shannonside Foods in County Kildare. [29784/25]

1123. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the Deer Management Strategy and the establishment of local deer management units; if the locations of each of these units has yet been finalised; if a unit will be located in the north Tipperary area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30091/25]

491. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of export licences for dogs granted by his Department for each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by country of destination, in tabular form. [28569/25]

351. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the review of the Control of Horses Act 1996, and the replacement legislation will be published, in order to address systemic horse cruelty and mismanagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28026/25]

146. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether a ban on fox hunting should be introduced. [25589/25]

740. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the mistreatment of horses in Clonmel, County Tipperary (details supplied); the steps he is taking to ensure that those who are responsible for this cruelty are held accountable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25943/25]

1174. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that unlawful animal traps are being sold by, and dispatched from, a company (details supplied); and if he will arrange for these cruel traps to be confiscated and destroyed and the company prosecuted for breaching legislation. [18876/25]

1315. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reasons elephants were moved from/to Dublin Zoo in the recent years in light of the fact that transport of elephants is a stress source for the animals and potentially increases mortality by 50%. [20510/25]

1316. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has considered that Dublin Zoo does not provide elephants with the appropriate environment where they could forage foods naturally; the potential this has on their welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20511/25]

1317. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has taken steps to ensure optimal temperatures for elephants in Dublin Zoo, given that wild Asian elephants have evolved and lived in tropical and subtropical climates. [20512/25]

1669. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make a statement on the allegations of mistreatment of horses at a certain food supplier (details supplied) brought to light by an investigative programme in June 2024; whether he is aware of any violations of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2023; and if he is investigating allegations of microchip tampering. [18…

1670. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the steps his Department has taken to ensure accountability following public allegations of animal abuse at a certain food supplier (details supplied). [18570/25]

1671. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is currently monitoring or auditing slaughterhouses, or holding facilities for notable breaches in animal welfare and traceability; and whether his Department has issued any internal or external guidance or policy updates in response to recent allegations of animal abuse at a certain food supplier (d…

1686. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of thoroughbred horses that have been subjected to wind surgeries in Ireland over the past five years (details supplied); and if he will consider banning these highly invasive and unethical operations, given that their sole purpose is to maximise air flow into a horse's lungs to improve performance and incr…

1689. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of an incident (details supplied); the plans he has in place to ensure that those who commit animal cruelty face the full force of the law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18954/25]

1690. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of calls his Department received via the animal welfare hotline in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [18971/25]

1715. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered reviewing and updating the Control of Horses Act 1996 and related enforcement systems to address concerns around equine welfare, public safety and legal oversight; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19841/25]

1728. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legislation governing the sale, importation and welfare of exotic animals in light of a recent incident (details supplied); his plans to update this legislation; if a record exists of such animal imports; and if so, the location that such records are published. [20159/25]