Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the improvements but it is worth highlighting that, under current legislation, responsibility for ensuring the welfare of animals, horses in this case, falls on the owner of the animal. I am concerned about this, with yesterday’s programme in mind. I do not think what was contained in the programme was that surprising to some of us who have followed this over recent years. I am concerned that responsibility is placed on the animal owner and I am not sure about the role of others. I know the local authority has power and the Garda and the Department of agriculture have some powers, but it is about enforcement. The purpose of my Bill that I had produced was to introduce the role of an equine officer to local authorities. A person like that, who would be responsible for a register and for seizing on the spot animals that are not registered, with no messing around or falling between the cracks, as it were, between the various authorities, is probably something we should look at.

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