Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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It is hard to know where to start, such is the scale of the horrific abuse of horses revealed in the "RTÉ Investigates" programme broadcast last week. The first thing to do is to thank the makers of the programme and the whistleblowers who spoke to them, and acknowledge the investment of resources and so on undertaken by RTÉ to reveal what is taking place in this massively publicly-funded industry, namely, the horrendous abuse of horses. I also thank those campaigners from organisations such as My Lovely Horse Rescue, the National Animal Rights Association, NARA and others that have been highlighting issues around the mistreatment of horses for a long time and that have managed, for example, to apply pressure for Shannonside to be shut down, at least for now.

What was revealed in the programme was, first, and most shockingly for people, the incredible and awful abuse, including that undertaken by supposed animal welfare officers, at Shannonside slaughterhouse just before animals were due to be killed. They were treated in the most brutal and inhumane manner as worthless, not worth any care and as pure objects to be kicked around or to be left dying on the floor. Second, massive smuggling of animals was revealed. It was estimated by RTÉ that up to 20,000 horses go missing each year from this country. The third revelation was fraud in the form of the changing of passports and microchips being entered into horses to facilitate them being exported as something other than what they were. Fourth, significant issues were found around food safety, where it appears that animals used for horse racing or showjumping were extremely likely to have had bute used on them. That is an extremely common painkiller for horses entering the food chain for human consumption when it is not safe for humans to eat. All that was underpinned by €76 million of public money going into the industry this year. From previous investigations and FOIs, we know the majority of that money is ending up with extremely rich individuals as tax-free prize money.

How has this been allowed to happen? There are two explanations.

One is that the Department of agriculture, HRI and the IHRB have been asleep at the wheel and the other is that a blind eye has been turned to what has been going on.

We have told that this horrendous, we are going to carry out an investigation and we will make sure that it does not happen again, the implication being that this is just one rotten apple when Shannonside Foods was the only slaughterhouse for horses in the country. As such, it is the entire barrel of apples in reality. In 2021, a “Panorama” documentary showed that Irish horses were being treated in the same way in slaughterhouses in Britain. The same promises were made then, but nothing seems to have changed.

I read in today’s edition of the Irish Mirrorthat, in 2018, a situation involving two sets of microchips in horses was revealed by a vet within the Department of agriculture. The matter was notified to the Government at the time and there was supposedly an investigation. We do not know what happened in that regard. The matter was also notified to the current Minister for agriculture, who was then Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on agriculture. Why is it going to be any different this time?

I will pose a number of questions to the Minister of State quickly. Where was the Food Safety Authority of Ireland in all of this? It has not even been mentioned. Why did the Department of agriculture inspectors, who would have been present when the slaughtering of the horses took place, never inspect the area where this incredible abuse was taking place? Are we going to have a proper digital passport system for horses? Are we going to deal with the systematic overbreeding of horses that underlies much of this? Are we going to have a proper independent investigation and independent regulation that is not done by industry, which is an incentive to continue with this industry?

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue.

The footage broadcast last week showing instances of animal cruelty was extremely upsetting. The Minister shares the reaction of viewers and the wider public who were appalled and upset by such a blatant disregard for the welfare of horses. He is certain that the majority of decent people who care for horses will be horrified by the scenes broadcast. It is important to stress that what we saw was potentially criminal behaviour by a number of individuals.

Arising from the information that the Department of agriculture became aware of in recent weeks, it has commenced an investigation into these matters with the support of An Garda Síochána. While it is important to ensure that the process continues without prejudice, the Minister states categorically that the full rigour of the law will be applied and that no stone will be left unturned.

In terms of immediate actions, he issued a notice on 14 June to the slaughter plant concerning the revocation of its approval for the slaughter of equines. The revocation of this food business approval means that the plant must immediately cease operating as an equine slaughter food business. Furthermore, the Department has placed restrictions on two equine holdings linked to the slaughter plant, prohibiting the entry or exit of any animal without prior approval.

It is clear from the documentary that a collective effort across the EU among member states and the Commission is required to improve the traceability system. The Department is committed to assisting in that process along with European colleagues and the Commission.

Protecting animal welfare is important and the Department takes it responsibilities in this regard seriously. The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action is taken where breaches or shortcomings are identified. The Department has in excess of 200 authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act who carry out welfare inspections in every county. There have been 167 prosecutions taken under the Act since it entered into law in 2013 and a number of other investigations are ongoing.

The welfare of equines is further supported by the Department through its provision of funding to a number of horse projects nationwide, working with local authorities, charities and community stakeholders. Effective traceability is essential for the protection of equine welfare. Ireland’s equine traceability system operates within the requirements set down in EU law and is fully in compliance with those requirements.

In recognition of the importance of traceability to equine welfare, the Department has made improving equine traceability a priority in recent years. There have been a number of significant advances, including the introduction of a central equine database in 2013, followed by improved security features and equine passports in 2014. The Department also made it a legal requirement in 2014 to register all equine premises. In 2021, the first equine census was carried out. This was repeated in 2022 and 2023. A portal to check the validity of equine microchips or passport numbers was launched last year and 2023 also saw the Department provide funding for e-passports, which will help to simplify the updating of information in respect of the movement of equines. These developments, in particular the recent ones relating to technology and e-passports, will continue to move equine traceability forward.

The Department condemns any cruelty to animals. We are taking this matter seriously. An investigation has commenced and no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that the full force of the law applies.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Unfortunately, I do not believe the Minister of State that no stone will be left unturned, as we have been here before. There have been similar revelations in the past, yet the situation continued. There is an industry that is politically influential and powerful. Every time I raise the matter with the Minister, he spends his time talking about how great the industry is and so on. It is why we give it almost €100 million per year. What flows from trying to make profit out of animals without proper regulation, for example, the enforcement of the rule that people have to take care of their animals after it races, is the situation of some owners who, having already made money out of their horses, want to make a few hundred extra euro by having them killed for human consumption instead of paying the €200 to get the animal euthanised where they are.

The Minister of State said that the welfare of equines was protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action was taken where breaches or shortcomings were identified. If so, why did it take an "RTÉ Investigates" programme to reveal this? How come RTÉ has to say 20,000 horses are going missing every year for this issue to be highlighted? The programme for Government refers to prioritising equine welfare based on a robust traceability system. We know now that there is no robust traceability system. Many horses appear to have two microchips and two passports so that they can be passed of as something they are not. We also know now that this situation was highlighted to the Department of agriculture in 2018. A veterinary inspector raised concerns on 13 March 2018 after he scanned the carcasses of seven horses at a slaughterhouse and found that six of them contained two microchips. Why has this situation not been dealt with previously? Why do we not have a practice whereby any horse involved in showjumping or horse racing automatically has its passport stamped as not being fit for human consumption because, 99 times out of 100, they will have had bute used on them? These are very serious questions to answer and I do not believe we have had those answers from the Minister yet.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I will pass the Deputy's feedback to the Minister. The footage broadcast last week was abhorrent and extremely upsetting for all of us who have never shown such blatant disregard for the welfare of horses or other animals. What we saw was potentially criminal behaviour by a number of individuals and I do not believe it was representative of the wider horse owning community.

The welfare of horses is protected by legislation, and where breaches or shortcomings are identified, appropriate enforcement action must be taken. The Department of agriculture will utilise all avenues open to it to ensure that there are appropriate consequences for those responsible for the mistreatment of animals.

It is clear that a collective effort across the EU, among member states and the Commission, is needed in respect of traceability systems. The Department is committed to assisting in that process.

An active investigation has commenced, led by the Department with support from An Garda Síochána. While it is important that the Minister ensures that the process continue without prejudice, he states categorically that the full rigour of the law will apply and that no stone will be left unturned.