I thank Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this legislation. It is an appropriate time to introduce it given the work being done by the stakeholder group to look at all of these issues. The Government is talking about kicking the can down the road, as it does with so many of the Bills that come before the House. We all need to recognise that we have a difficulty in Ireland when it comes to puppy farming. That said, my understanding is that there is considered to be a market in Ireland for approximately 50,000 puppies per year, about half of which come from registered puppy farms. To be a breeder in Ireland, you have to have more than six bitches. An awful lot of the people who are providing or selling pups have one or two dogs. Usually, they love and care for their dogs very well, particularly in those small environments. However, that is not always the case. There are always dogs in those environments that are looked after very badly. I have some experience of this. We had dogs at home and I remember the pups coming. On one occasion, they were Irish wolfhounds. We are up at night watching the dogs and waiting for the pups to come. This went on for two nights in a row and when they were born, we had to get a box with a red lamp in it, similar to a small incubator, and put the pups into it to keep them warm. We had to get up every two or three hours and feed the pups because otherwise the bitch would lie over them and possibly kill them. We had to be there with them all the time. It is an intense thing to do. I cannot imagine how difficult that must be if someone has 30 bitches. Of course, that would not be happening to all of them at the same time, but it is a big operation in those circumstances. My understanding is that there are fewer than 20 breeders in Ireland who have more than 30 bitches. While the number is quite low, that does not mean these operations do not need to be regulated and intensively monitored. A limit is certainly needed but that needs to be worked out. The Bill refers to a figure of 30 and maybe there are arguments around that. We need to hear what those arguments are and see what the situation is. The number of pups going to the UK has been very large for the past ten to 15 years, although I think the figure has gone down somewhat in recent years. That is part of the work the stakeholder group needs to do. I know it is meeting and doing work on that. We need to get reports from the group and accurate data to know exactly what is happening, how it is happening and what is in place around the country. Of course, there are circumstances in which people are very careless in how they look after these animals and see them only as a means of making money. In my experience, the vast majority of people who breed dogs are not like that. They care and work with the dogs and follow up after they sell a pup, ringing the buyer a month later, six months later and a year later to ask how the dog is doing. They have an affinity with the dogs and look after them very well. That is reflected back, and we hear that from the vets, the people who know what is going on. In most cases, they are also the people who will sound the alarm and let the authorities know when there is a problem. In fairness, the local authorities and county vets in most areas are active. The county vet in my area is extremely active in ensuring that things are done properly and there is not the kind of abuse we have seen in the past and which is happening now to a limited extent. The proposals in the legislation are apt, particularly around insemination. There are issues there that clearly need to be dealt with. The Minister of State said he hopes to deal with this legislation within the year, if not sooner. The sooner the better because it needs to get absolute attention. Everyone, in every corner of these Houses, has an affinity with dogs. People love their dogs and have a great sense of companionship with them. We used to always say that no matter whether you came home in good humour, bad humour or whatever way you were, the dog would come to welcome you wagging its tail. They are always there to welcome people. That sense of affinity we have with these animals will, I feel, give us the strength, as a community and a nation, to ensure we have adequate legislation in place, including on following up. There is no point in having the legislation if we do not follow up and implement the regulations to ensure animals are treated properly. This has to be done with authenticity and must not be something that is swept under the carpet or hidden away. The number of bitches a person needs to have registered to be a breeder may need to come down. Numbers and limits need to be put in place with haste. I hope the Minister and Government come forward with measures very soon.

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