Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Coveney wishes to discuss matters relating to horse welfare and food safety at Shannonside Foods in Straffan, County Kildare. We were all horrified with what we saw on television screens last evening. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, for being here to deal with this matter.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Last night's "RTÉ Investigates" programme was, to say the least, uncomfortable watching. There is a lot to consider in the context of a European horsemeat trade that needs our attention in this House, but I want to focus for today on what we saw in Shannonside Foods Limited in Straffan. It was completely unacceptable and we need to deal with it very firmly. There was a horse in a crush being punched in the face, horses being beaten and whipped with a long length of piping, horses being allowed to fall and injure themselves in filthy conditions, and injured horses being shot on the ground to put them down in totally inappropriate circumstances. We saw what looked like, and I say "what looked like" because I do not want to prejudice any legal case in the future, horses having microchips inserted in their necks before slaughter to effectively change their identity, presumably to allow them to enter the human food chain inappropriately and, I suspect, illegally to increase their value. We saw completely inappropriate and, I also suspect, illegal treatment of animals of various ages and conditions.

I have been a Minister in the Department of agriculture and I know how abattoirs and how holding systems work. I have been around horses all of my life. They are amazing animals and they are, we should not forget, what makes it possible to have a horse industry in this country that is worth billions of euro per year and employs approximately 30,000 people, so we need to protect it. First and foremost, we need to protect these precious animals but second, we need to protect the reputation of an industry which is fragile today.

I want to ask three questions. First, while the filming of the cruelty and fraud we saw last night was in a holding building rather than in the actual abattoir nearby, I find it hard to believe that Department of agriculture vets raised no suspicions of maltreatment of horses given their regular presence at the slaughter facility close by. Have there been any reports from our Department vets raising concerns about welfare or identity fraud? This is, after all, the only operating horse abattoir in the country, so surely experienced vets would have seen horses in the kind of condition we saw yesterday coming into the abattoir and would have raised questions. Second, is Shannonside Foods Limited in Straffan still operating this week as an equine slaughter facility under the existing management? If so, why? It should not be operating until we have a lot more clarity in terms of the investigation that is under way. Third, will the Minister please outline in some detail the penalties in law for this level of animal cruelty and potential fraud in the context of falsifying a horse's microchip pre-slaughter in the inappropriate and, I suspect, illegal way we saw on film last night?

This issue needs to be dealt with a firmness and urgency necessary to reassure the public and those involved in the horse industry that the Irish State will not tolerate wanton cruelty to horses or allow an illegal compromising of the human food chain for profit given the fact that much of the horsemeat that leaves this country is for human consumption in other parts of Europe.

I have other questions but I would like those three addressed initially.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Last night's "RTÉ Investigates", which I also watched, showed really horrifying footage of welfare abuses on a farm premises adjacent to the sole horse slaughter plant in Ireland, as well as potential breaches of traceability rules in Ireland and member states across the EU. The behaviour seen last night is utterly unacceptable. It is disgusting and entirely inconsistent with the framework of EU and national laws that are there to protect the welfare of animals. I am certain the vast majority of decent people who care for horses and the vast majority of decent people who were watching the television last night were horrified by the scenes that were broadcast. It is important to stress that what we saw was potentially criminal behaviour by a number of individuals.

The Department of agriculture has already started an investigation into the matter with the support of An Garda Síochána. The full force of the law will be brought to bear in these matters. Protecting animal welfare is extremely important and the Department takes its responsibilities very seriously. There are in excess of 200 authorised officers under the animal welfare Act who carry out welfare inspections in every county. A total of 167 prosecutions have been taken under the Act since it entered into law in 2013 and a number of other investigations are ongoing.

As Deputy Coveney said, the protection of the integrity of the food chain is vitally important and the Department applies a systematic and robust series of controls at the slaughter plants in Straffan to verify compliance. These include having a full-time presence providing oversight in the slaughter facility on the days on which slaughter takes place; the carrying out of veterinary ante mortem and post mortem examinations of the horses; and undertaking identity and traceability checks carried out in accordance with our legal obligations. Ultimately, it is the case that even when these robust systems are in place, illegal activity can occur if someone is prepared to engage in fraud.

The Department of agriculture takes such matters extremely seriously and will continue to investigate and prosecute for breaches or fraudulent activity related to animal welfare and identification. The activities shown on last night's report as regards identification and traceability show what would appear to be illegal activities which impact on traceability both at home and across Europe. It is clear that a collective effort across the EU among member states and the Commission is required to further improve the traceability system. The Department is committed to helping that process along with our European colleagues and the European Commission.

In terms of equine traceability, Ireland operates within the requirements set down in EU law and our system is fully in compliance with the requirements. The Department of agriculture has made improving equine traceability a priority in recent years and, as a result, there have been a number of significant advances in the traceability of horses.

A central equine database was introduced in 2013. Improved security features on equine passports were put in place in 2014, and the Department made it a legal requirement in that year to register all equine premises. These developments, particularly the recent ones relating to technology and e-passports, will continue to move equine traceability forward. However, it is clear that where individuals are determined to breach the law, they will try to do so and it is up to the Department and An Garda Síochána to ensure this full investigation results in the full force of the law being applied to anybody who broke the law in these egregious and outrageous circumstances.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I believe the Minister of State, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Department are taking this very seriously. However, I have a few questions. Regarding my question about Shannonside Foods Limited and whether it should continue to be operating, my view is that it should close until we have more clarity about the evidence we saw last night. If it is to remain open, it needs to be under the supervision of the Department and Department vets, and I think this is possible. If closure means we have a glut of horses that need to be slaughtered and cannot be, there are also issues there that need to be addressed, but under no circumstances should this company continue to operate as it did under the management and staff we saw on our screens last night until a final investigation is concluded.

Do we have a timeline for that investigation and the piece of work that clearly needs to be done by Ireland in conjunction with other EU countries regarding some of the other issues that were raised? Let us not forget that the food fraud division of the European Commission has now issued an alert for horses slaughtered in Ireland, Italy and Spain because it is convinced there is evidence that animals that should have been removed from the food chain have not been. In other words, their identities have been falsified. That in itself is a reputational issue that needs a very clear and firm response from the Department and the State generally.

My final question is complicated but is one that needs to be raised. What conversations have taken place with our counterparts in Northern Ireland about ensuring the trade in horses is not happening inappropriately or illegally, taking advantage of an open border on the island of Ireland? Some valid questions were raised about this issue last night that need to be addressed comprehensively. This is an opportunity for us to do a comprehensive job on how horses are treated when they are at the end of their lives. We have many horses each year, especially coming from the racing industry and the horse sport industry, and we need to ensure they are treated with respect and that when they are put down, it is done in an acceptable way that is transparent. There is much work to do on the back of the evidence we saw last night.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The footage shown last night was appalling and the actions of the individuals shown are abhorrent and completely unacceptable. Deputy Coveney raised some interesting questions. I am reluctant to go too far in light of potential prosecutions and the Department's determination to bring the full force of the law to bear. However, I have no doubt that horse butchers in European countries where horse meat is consumed will certainly be thinking twice about purchasing where they cannot be sure about traceability. This is something that is very important from a national point of view. The welfare of horses is protected by legislation, and where breaches or shortcomings are identified, appropriate enforcement action is taken. This will happen here.

Some of the footage shown last night demonstrates how the EU equine traceability rules can be circumvented by those who want to engage in illegal activity. We need to work together with our colleagues to ensure we can improve this system. The Department is committed to assisting in that process along with other EU member states and the Commission.

The Department has initiated a comprehensive investigation with help from An Garda Síochána. This investigation is active and ongoing and should not be prejudiced so that the full force of the law can be applied. We need to make sure that nothing is said in this Chamber that could damage that.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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As someone who lives in Kildare and loves horses and animals in general, I feel compelled to say that we appreciate the Minister of State being here and we know he is not responsible in that Department, but I would think that the public outside looking in at this debate would want one particular question answered. Is that place - that horror hole - open today doing what we saw on TV last night? Most people would like to see that answered. We appreciate fully that, because of legal constraints, the Minister of State may not be able to answer, but I suspect that for members of the public looking in, it is precisely this question, as put so succinctly by Deputy Coveney, that they would like to hear answered.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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As I am not in the Department of agriculture, I am not in a position to answer that but I will make sure that question gets put to the Minister for agriculture as a matter of urgency.