Animal Welfare
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-14
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

My Department is committed to reviewing all legislation relating to dogs, and in this regard it will be guided by the recommendations of the dog control stakeholder group. I expect the group to revert to me with recommendations on the matter in due course. In the meantime, I am fully committed to progressing the work in this area. My Department is also aware of the campaign the Deputy references and will consider all views when reviewing legislation. It is very important that if members of the public are aware of any issues of suspected abuse or neglect, they contact my Department. We have a helpline phone number and a direct email address through which any fears people have are dealt with in a very confidential manner and are investigated and followed up. That is very important for people to know as well.
Regulations for cats and dogs are being worked on at present on an EU-wide level. My Department is currently engaged in consultation with other member states on new proposals on European regulations on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats. This includes provisions to ensure the breeding strategies do not include genotypes that have a detrimental effect on the health and welfare of dogs and cats. When that regulation is passed, it will be applicable to all member states, including Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-14