Public to be consulted on ways to govern dog breeding

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche is to take action against so-called "puppy farms" responsible for cruelty and mistreatment of dogs.

Mr Roche said he intended to establish a public consultation process on the management of dog-breeding establishments following the report of a working group.

The working group included representatives of the ISPCA, the Veterinary Council of Ireland, and industry bodies including the Dog Breeders' Association of Ireland, the Irish Kennel Club and the Irish Greyhound Board. The Garda, local authorities and the Department of Agriculture were also represented.

It was established in September 2004 in response to cases of mistreatment of dogs on puppy farms, some of which led to legal action against owners and breeders.

The working group has found there is a need to introduce legislation to enforce standards for the dog-breeding industry, and has proposed the introduction of a registration system for dog-breeding establishments.

Mr Roche said: "It is clear to me that there are strongly-held opinions out there among the public on how best to provide a properly-administered and supervised structure for dog-breeding in Ireland. I feel it is very important, therefore, at this stage to canvass public opinion more widely, and I propose to launch a public consultation process on the matter shortly."

The Minister was speaking at the opening of a new animal pound at Dromoskin, Co Louth.

The ISPCA welcomed the Minister's announcement. It had raised the initial concerns about large-scale puppy breeding, and was relieved to see movement towards legislating the industry.