Coalition wins vote on dog breeding Bill

CONTROVERSIAL DOG breeding legislation was passed easily in the Dáil by 92 votes to 50 yesterday, with the Labour Party voting with the Government.

Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath, who lost the Fianna Fáil whip for voting against the law to ban stag hunting recently, also voted against the Coalition on the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill.

Former ceann comhairle John O’Donoghue of Fianna Fáil was absent from the Dáil during votes on the legislation, although he had spoken on the Bill earlier in the day.

Mr O’Donoghue’s constituency colleague in Kerry South, Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, was also absent.

There was a tense moment in the afternoon when the Government won a vote on an amendment by just one vote: 69 to 68.

A spokesman for Government Chief Whip John Curran said Mr O’Donoghue was absent with permission and had informed Mr Curran’s office of his intentions earlier this week. The same went for Mr Healy-Rae, he said.

A Fianna Fáil spokesman said Mr O’Donoghue had a “personal commitment”.

Addressing the Dáil, Mr O’Donoghue highlighted divisions within Labour on animal welfare legislation.

He criticised party leader Eamon Gilmore, comparing him to “a gadfly around the tail of an old cow” and characterising his contributions as “tut-tuttism by the finest tut-tutterer in the House”.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley described the law as a “fine piece of legislation”. Fianna Fáil Cork South West TD Christy O’Sullivan and Máire Hoctor of Tipperary North, who had wanted the Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI) to be exempt from the Bill, supported the legislation as expected. Mr O’Sullivan said he welcomed amendments and accepted it was not possible to exempt the HAI. “They will not be unduly affected by the legislation in this form.”

Independents Michael Lowry, Joe Behan, Finian McGrath and Maureen O’Sullivan supported the Bill, while Fine Gael and Sinn Féin opposed it.

Elements of the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill relating to the greyhound industry will be inserted into an amended version of the 1958 Greyhound Industry Act.

Fine Gael’s environment spokesman Phil Hogan called on Mr Gormley to outline changes he said had been agreed in meetings in “smoke-filled rooms”. Mr Gormley replied he had never been in a smoke-filled room.

Sinn Féin deputy Martin Ferris, of Kerry North, said his party had come into the chamber with the intention of supporting the Bill in principle but Mr Gormley’s responses had eroded their confidence in the Bill.