Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore will introduce an important animal welfare Bill tomorrow aimed at strengthening weak dog breeding regulations in Ireland.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on agriculture, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland is facing a dog welfare crisis, with more than 3,000 stuck in pounds and rescue centres around the country. Abandonments have surged since Covid-19, with the cost-of-living and housing crises adding to the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022, 7,352 dogs entered Irish pounds \u2013 a 77 per cent increase on 2021 \u2013 and 340 were euthanised.<\/p>\n
\u201cShamefully, Ireland is now the puppy farm capital of Europe, with 30,000 dogs exported annually into illegal markets in the UK, Europe and Asia. This figure increases by 70,000 if you take backyard breeders into account, where hundreds of female dogs are often kept in extremely poor conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis scandalous situation has arisen because of weak regulation under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. It means females as young as four months can be bred, with no maximum age, and they can have up to six litters in their lifetimes. Our inadequate laws have left the door open to unregistered breeding and allowed harmful practices like surgical insemination to remain legal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2025, which I am introducing tomorrow, contains several key measures to strengthen the 2010 act.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese include capping the number of breeding females at 30 per site; introducing a 16-month minimum age for breeding and eight-year maximum age; a maximum of one litter per year per breeding female; a maximum of four litters per breeding female during her lifetime; a minimum age of 10 weeks for pup separation; mandating 10:1 staff-to-animal ratios for proper care; the outlawing of surgical artificial insemination; and updating fee structures to reflect new welfare standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must do everything we can to eliminate cruel practices when it comes to dog breeding. In the absence of proper regulation, animal welfare charities and rescue centres will continue to be left to pick up the pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
November 19, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore will introduce an important animal welfare Bill tomorrow aimed at strengthening weak dog breeding regulations in Ireland. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on agriculture, said: \u201cIreland is facing a dog welfare crisis, with more than 3,000 stuck in pounds and rescue centres around the country. Abandonments have surged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,582,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-animal-welfare","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n