Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I received an email today saying that the Minister would not be here to take Topical Issues. It is increasingly the case that Ministers do not appear to take Topical Issues. They are answerable to the Dáil and should be present. However, I appreciate that the deputy leader of Fianna Fáil is here to take questions.

I am raising the horrific situation at Shannonside Foods in Straffan in my constituency of Kildare North that was revealed in the “RTÉ Investigates” programme last week. Issues with microchips, the safety of the food chain and the security and reliability of the passport system were raised.

These issues all affect Ireland's international equine reputation, which the Government is so concerned about. Equally, there is the abject failure of the horse racing industry to make sure racehorses get to retire and are put to sleep with decency instead of being sold for a few quid with a few beatings thrown in before they are slaughtered. They are cheered at race meetings and then terrorised for meat. To be very clear, I am not vegan or vegetarian. I am not a hypocrite. I abhor the wanton cruelty that was shown to those animals.

I want to focus on several issues, which are licensing and welfare. When exactly was the operator licensed? This is important because the main operator has an animal cruelty conviction regarding horses from October 2012. To be licensed a person must be without a serious conviction in the previous three years. We need this date. I have a document from the Companies Registration Office stating Shannonside Foods Limited in Straffan was set up on Wednesday, 11 March 2015, a date which seems to be within the three-year conviction window. Was the operator's licence granted at this time or before or after it? I ask for this to be checked please.

Surely the fact of a conviction, regardless of timing, should be a major red flag for the Department. It beggars belief that anyone with an animal welfare conviction should be licensed at all. This three-year timeframe must be changed immediately so that nobody who has a conviction for animal cruelty can ever be licensed to handle or slaughter animals. Will the Minister of State check with the Minister for agriculture as to whether this is something he is looking at?

I attended the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts today and I was shocked at how a Department official seemed quite blasé about welfare and seem to be splitting hairs on the examination of the holding area. It beggars belief that departmental staff or agents never thought about checking how the horses were held pre-slaughter. These are professionals and it never struck them, not once. The Department also told the committee this morning that its veterinarians only saw horses in good condition. Where were the other horses that were slaughtered disposed of? We need to know this.

With regard to ongoing welfare issues, I want to ask about the horses removed from north Kildare. In his reply to Deputy Murphy the Minister of State said the Minister contacted the operator on 14 June. That was last Friday. Amazingly, on Friday afternoon, the day before the Minister closed the operation, the horses were removed from Shannonside Foods in Straffan. This is incredible timing. Was it not very lucky? The Minister must disclose where these horses are, who transported them, whether it was on his say-so and in whose care they are now. On a welfare basis we need to know whether they were transported by the personnel shown on the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. Are they now in their care? I use the word "care" sarcastically. Given what we saw on RTÉ the Minister has clear welfare grounds to seize these horses, wherever they are. I believe they are in Limerick. I ask that the Minister do so immediately. Plenty of good people have contacted me to say they are willing to take them in and the Minister should look into this immediately.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate Deputy Cronin raising this important issue. I am taking this issue on behalf of my colleague the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. As I said to Deputy Murphy, the footage broadcasted last week showing incidents of animal cruelty was extremely upsetting and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, shares the reaction of viewers and the wider public who were appalled and upset by such a blatant disregard for the welfare of horses. The vast majority of people who care for horses will have been horrified by these scenes and it is important to stress that what we saw was potentially criminal behaviour by a number of individuals. As I have said, the Department of agriculture has commenced an investigation into these matters with the support of An Garda Síochána. While it is vital to ensure this process continues without prejudice, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, states categorically that the full rigour of the law will be applied and no stone will be left unturned.

In terms of immediate actions taken by the Department, on 14 June the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, issued a notice to the slaughter plant concerned revoking its approval for the slaughter of equines. The revocation of the 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.

In terms of the Department of agriculture's role and function in relation to the activities at Shannonside, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, would like to clarify the level of controls in place at the various premises involved. The Department supervised the slaughter activities at the approved slaughter facilities at the plant in Straffan in accordance with legal obligations. There was a full-time Department presence at the facility on the days on which slaughter took place, usually one day per week. The food business operator presented the animals he wished to slaughter to departmental staff and a veterinary inspector carried out an ante-mortem inspection of each horse to determine its health and its fitness for slaughter. This was accompanied by a visual identity check of the animals and of the submitted identity document, a check on the animal to identify a microchip, a check on the identification document to ensure it matched the presented animal and the microchip and that the animal was not excluded from the food chain, and a check against the central equine database as further verification as to identity and eligibility. Following slaughter, the carcass was subject to post-mortem veterinary inspection and, where necessary, in line with the random national residue control plan, samples were taken to check for medicinal residues.

The building on the holding adjacent to the approved slaughter plant, where the majority of the footage was filmed, does not form part of the approved slaughter plant. It is not the lairage of the approved plant and is not subject to direct veterinary supervision under the relevant food and feed hygiene regulations which govern the operation of slaughter plants. The Department does not have a permanent presence on equine holdings, however under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 an authorised officer may enter and inspect any land or premises where animals are present. All persons keeping horses are required to have an equine premises registration number. This particular holding was subject to an inspection by officers of the Department in 2023, at which time no welfare concerns were identified.

The activities shown last week, as they related to potential interference with the traceability of horses, extended to matters allegedly taking place in other member states. It is clear that a collective effort across the European Union, among member states and the Commission, is required to strengthen the system. The Department is committed to assisting in this process.

The Department of agriculture has an important role in protection of animal welfare and it takes its responsibilities very seriously. The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action is taken where breaches or shortcomings are identified. The Department has 200 authorised officers in every county. There have been 167 prosecutions taken under the Animal Health and Welfare Act since it entered into law and a number of investigations are progressing. The welfare of equines is further supported by the Department through its provision of funding to a number of horse projects nationwide. The Department also recognises that effective traceability is essential for the protection of equine welfare and public health. I have said much of this to Deputy Murphy.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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And it will be in the Official Record.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I heard the same thing this morning about how everyone is appalled and upset and that we now have a criminal investigation and a departmental investigation. To be honest, it seems to be handy cover for the Minister and the Government. The Department of agriculture has serious questions to answer. These questions are just as serious as those for the company. None of this happened on its own. None of it happened out of the blue. It happened because it was allowed to happen and people were used to a blind eye being shut to it.

Under law the departmental staff who were there can have access to any building where animals are kept. It is too coincidental to think RTÉ managed to get this on film but the departmental veterinarians who were there did not see how the animals were being treated. It was the same thing last July when we saw the "RTÉ Investigates" programme on the poor calves that were brutalised, kicked, beaten and thrown around the place. There was not a care in the world for them and they were only a few weeks old. What is the Department's attitude to welfare really? We would wonder whether the lightning move to shut down the plant was also a move to shut down the necessary scrutiny of the role of the Department of agriculture and the culture in the Department. It happened because it was allowed to happen.

Leopards do not change their spots. When someone with a previous conviction for animal cruelty gets to handle animals and supervise them, especially at the end of their lives like this, the leopard still has it spots. It adds insult to injury. It is insulting to the ordinary workers in the equine industry in Kildare. We are known as the "thoroughbred county". The ordinary workers who work in the stables and who work with horses love the animals. They love working with horses.

Some of them were really upset to see, the other night, what happened there. There has to be birth to death care of these animals. They make a fortune for their owners. It was terrible to see them being treated the way they were. It seems that the only thing the Department cares about is traceability. It does not seem to care about animal welfare at all. I want answers to the questions I asked today. I want the Minister of State to follow that up. The Ceann Comhairle is aware that I asked questions last week that were not answered properly. I sent them back to the Ceann Comhairle's office to ensure I get answers. We are entitled to answers.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Cronin again for raising the issue. As I said, the footage that was broadcast was abhorrent and extremely upsetting for us all. Many people across communities would never show such a blatant disregard for the welfare of horses. That is why what we saw was potentially criminal behaviour by a number of individuals and there needs to be consequences of that. The welfare of horses is protected by legislation and where breaches or shortcomings are identified, appropriate enforcement action is undertaken. The Department of agriculture will utilise all avenues open to it to ensure there are full consequences for those responsible for the mistreatment of animals.

As I have said, it is important a collective effort across the EU is undertaken as part of this process. The Department is absolutely committed to ensuring this issue is fully investigated and that those responsible are subject to the full force of the law. An active investigation has commenced, led by the Department with support from An Garda Síochána. While it is important that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, ensures the process continues without prejudice, I state categorically that no stone will be left unturned. I will reflect the feedback the Deputy gave today to the Minister.