Here we go again. I have raised the issue of wandering ill-treated horses many times over the years. It remains an ongoing and worsening concern in Limerick and other areas. Recently a horse was euthanised in a green area on a local estate in Limerick city. The very ill horse was abandoned on Friday, 13 March, unable to rise from the ground. A vet finally arrived on the Sunday and euthanised the horse, and the carcass of the horse was removed on the following day, Monday, 16 March, four days after the horse was abandoned. This incident started on Friday with a horse clearly dying, abandoned on a green area in the middle of a housing estate full of families. It was an ugly sight, particularly for children, to witness. While I appreciate the animal was finally removed, the incident highlights the plight of these animals, their mistreatment and the lack of enforcement of chip and pin and other urban horse legislation. There are no consequences for those who mistreat their animals. Legislation that is not enforced is not worth having. The Control of Horses Act is under review and has been for some time. I have submitted parliamentary questions on this, including one four years ago and one in October 2022. One response stated the Control of Horses Act is under review with a view to simplifying and further improving the legislation and that plans are advanced. Another response thanked me for raising the important topic and stated it is one the Minister takes very seriously but here we are, four years later, with no progress. I urge the Minister that when the legislation is amended that an enforcement mechanism is included. Allowing those who abuse, misuse and assault their animals to simply replace a dead horse with new foal must not be allowed to continue. Allowing people, often young children, to ride these horses on our national road network, delaying traffic and causing distress to the animals, must end. Allowing people to purchase horses and ponies without adhering to chip-and-pin legislation must end. Equine legislation requires that all horses are micro-chipped, have adequate land to graze on and are kept in a safe environment. This simply is not the case in many urban areas and has been ignored. The issue was raised in the Dáil almost 50 years ago by the late Limerick TD Mick Lipper, and it is this extremely disheartening and depressing that I have had to raise this issue myself on many occasions since I was first elected more than a decade ago. We have not got to grips with this challenge. The mistreatment of these poor animals has been tolerated for far too long. Some months ago I drove through three of Limerick's urban estates and during a 45-minute drive I encountered 50 horses. Many times since, I have noticed that the number of horses on the public green spaces has not changed whatsoever. The placement of horses in public spaces in more affluent areas would simply not be tolerated. Can we imagine a dead horse remaining in situ in a more affluent area? It would not have happened and it would not have been tolerated. It would not have been there for four or five days. Why are we expected to tolerate this in working class areas? Why is this acceptable? Green spaces should be available for all. They should be spaces where children can kick a ball and play. We need to reclaim our public spaces for everybody in the community. What we have in many urban estates are limited green spaces being claimed by a small few, who allow horses to graze on these public spaces. They often destroy them and prevent other children and other people from using them. These are community spaces and communities must be allowed to reclaim them. There is an important role for the local council and the Garda to play in addressing the issue of wandering urban horses but overall responsibility for the issue ultimately lies with the Minister and the Department. It is time to get heads together so a permanent solution can be found, and the people in these estates can reclaim their public spaces and we finally deal with the issue of urban horses being mistreated, wandering and causing stress and chaos in many parts of our cities.

Sentiment score: -0.13

I thank the Minister for his response. I will seek clarification on the number of horses collected, year on year. The reason they are not being collected is that the local authorities have, in many cases, simply stopped collecting them. They will say that themselves. When we collect horses in Limerick, for example, we need to ensure we have gardaí available and that the pound is available. The pound is only able to collect four horses. Gardaí tell us it is not worth their while coming out to collect four horses so the collection of horses has simply collapsed. It is not that there are fewer horses there. Unfortunately, there are far more horses there. The Minister will have to come to see it for himself to believe what is going on. I have tried to bring people together on this issue. I recently attended a meeting with the directly elected mayor and the director general and their staff to discuss this issue. I provided them with the detail of the numerous parliamentary questions I have asked over the years on this ongoing issue. I am sure the mayor, like the rest of the council, wants to see this matter addressed, but the direction and leadership must come from the Department. It comes back to providing resources to ensure the enforcement of the legislation. The level of impunity can be frustrating for so many people. I know that many urban horse owners do not mistreat their animals and care for them. There are some fantastic urban horse projects, as the Minister mentioned, across the State where those with an affinity for animals can learn how to care for them and do so with pride. I have no issue with those good horse owners whatsoever. However, I take massive issue with those who abuse their animals, leave them shackled day and night and unable to roam, often with no water or food, regardless of the weather. I take issue with the legislation that is there to protect these animals not being enforced. Some will argue that the keeping of ponies and horses is a tradition but, to be clear, riding horses through our public spaces and wrecking them is not a tradition or culture. It is a display of lawlessness and an affront to those who abide by the rules. We need a solution. We need to bring together all the stakeholders, such as horse owners, An Garda Síochána, Limerick council, animal welfare organisations, projects such as My Lovely Horse and the Department of agriculture, to work to set a timeframe - I would suggest six months - after which horses will not roam in public areas in Limerick. We need a change of direction here. The hands-off approach has not worked. We must take the reins and ensure we finally address this issue.

Sentiment score: 0.11