The long awaited bill to deal with the puppy farming situation was published just before Christmas, and it makes for some interesting but worrying reading, with many feeling that it will have implications for the reputable breeder in different ways.

As always with such bills and laws it will be enforcement which will be the key to the success of the new laws, and people in the hobby must be forgiven for being sceptical about some of the detail and the likely success of the effect which the introduction of the laws hope to bring for dogs and puppies in Ireland.

The licensing fees structure will face an overhaul, with major costs for breeders who have ‘breeding bitches’ over four months old. It would seem that bitches which are over four months old and capable of being bred from and which number more than six at a ‘premises’ will deem the ‘premises’ a ‘Dog Breeding Establishment’. Remarkably, there are references to the fees for establishments which have 200 bitches or more. Even this figure proposed for an ‘establishment’ only has a licence fee of 3,000 euros per annum with an extra 1,600 euros per extra 100 bitches! The proposals also seek a fee of 400 euros for any ‘dog breeding establishment’ at which not more than twelve bitches are kept. There are stringent conditions listed for breeding establishments and how these conditions will be enforced in this time of recession is anyone’s guess.

New charges

The provisions of the Bill in relation to dog breeding establishments will be cost neutral to the Exchequer, according to the Minister’s office. The provisions in relation to increasing the dog licence fees will only reduce the present loss that local authorities incur in providing a dog control service. The new charges for licence fees would raise an estimated 4.3 million euros compared with the 2.8 million euros raised in 2008. However, the cost of the service in 2008 was 5.7 million.

Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader John Gormley said he was pleased to bring the bill forward. “I am very pleased to publish the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009. The Bill will provide safeguards for dogs in such establishments and provide assurances to customers that pups and their mothers were well treated in these establishments. This legislation has been in gestation for a long time and I am pleased to announce its publication. We all have all seen some of the appalling images of illegal puppy farms and this legislation will put an end to those who would run backstreet operations.” The Minister added “The preparation of the Bill has involved significant ongoing consultation with a variety of interested parties, including Government Departments, voluntary bodies and interest groups such as the Hunting Association of Ireland and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The provisions of the draft Bill have been informed by these consultations and I wish to thank all for their participation.” “I am confident that the Bill is stronger for their input”, the Minister concluded. Matters in relation to dog control are governed by the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 1992, as amended. The Minister said that this legislation is, in general, working satisfactorily since enactment but needs updating in certain areas, particularly in relation to regulations dealing with dog breeding establishments.
The Minister stressed his intention to have the Bill introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas early in the New Year and enacted at the earliest possible date but in the last number of days it has been made clear that he will be coming under pressure from parliamentary colleagues from the coalition Fianna Fail Party who want changes to the bill. Recent television programmes have shown a very active campaign from organised large scale dog breeders who have appeared on news and environmental programmes in the last few weeks claiming the bill will put them out of business and demanding that the veterinary profession be charged with the licensing of ‘establishments’.

It’s a worrying development for reputable breeders in Ireland as it seems unlikely that any major input was accepted by the Minister from those representing them and we now await the next chapter in this saga. One thing is for sure however, changes are just around the corner for all with reputable breeders both north and south about to pay the price for the behaviour and practises of others.

The full bill as published can be read at http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/bills28/bills/2009

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