Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Shannonside Foods in Straffan is in my constituency of North Kildare. I have tabled a lot of parliamentary questions to the Minister about animal welfare and cruelty. The replies I have received from the Department are within the letter of the answer rather than the spirit of the question. I noticed that the Department moved at lightning speed away from animal cruelty and towards traceability as a food safety matter. The plant was closed down on traceability matters. Sticking to the animal cruelty aspect - because I do think there is something disturbing about somebody who could inflict that kind of violence on animals, not least in this case, animals licensed by the Department into a private company's care -I attended the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts last Friday and was disturbed to see Mr. Sheahan suggest that people were jumping on the bandwagon. I know Mr. Sheahan withdrew that charge but the fact that the Department has that kind of attitude towards animal welfare and cruelty - that it felt that people asking questions about this issue were jumping on the bandwagon - does raise serious questions around the culture of the Department.

Given the savagery towards the horses we saw on the "RTÉ Investigates" programme right up to the pitchfork moments, why did the Department not shut the plant down or revoke the licence on welfare grounds? Why did it choose to do it on traceability grounds? What extra cruelty might the Department have needed to have seen to close the plant on animal welfare grounds instead of traceability grounds?