Thanks to Department of Agriculture

We are happy to say that we have been granted funding of €2,100 from the Department of Agriculture to assist us in continuing with our work in 2014.

Coveney awards funding to Animal Welfare Organisations

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has announced funding of €1.8m to 136 organisations involved in animal care and welfare services throughout the country.  The payments will be made with immediate effect.

Minister Coveney said that the level of funding being provided to these organisations has increased for the third year in a row reflecting the importance of the work of these organisations and the overall welfare of animals. The Minister said  “I am giving a special increase in funding  to those organisations involved in horse welfare, to ensure sufficient resources are available to enable them cater for any difficulties arising in the area of horse welfare over the coming year and to assist them in complying with new legislation on equine identification and equine premises registration.”

The Minister said that 2013 has been a challenging and demanding year for animal welfare organisations but praised the fantastic work carried out by them. .  He said recent reports of animal cruelty have highlighted the need to assist animal welfare organisations in their work. The Minister said “I am pleased to be able to provide support to these organisations by way of a grant to assist in their very important work and care of animals. My Department has worked very closely with welfare organisations, local authorities and the Gardai to intervene in cases of animal neglect or cruelty and we will continue to do so. It is not acceptable  that there are instances where animals gifted at Christmas time for example are frequently abandoned by their new owners and, in these situations, the work of animal welfare organisations continues to play a very important role in protecting Ireland’s reputation  as an animal caring nation”. 

In relation to the newly completed welfare legislation, the Animal Health and Welfare Bill the Minister said “the adoption of the Animal Health and Welfare Act earlier in the year is very timely; it consolidates a wide range of existing legislation and applies in many situations affecting the welfare of animals which must be at the heart of everything we do. . It enshrines the five freedoms concept of animal welfare which underpin best practice in every situation where animals are kept, whether it’s an animal kept for farming purposes, sporting, recreational or companion purposes and it obliges owners to provide feed, shelter, healthcare and welfare to their animals. It also ensures that practices of animal cruelty such as attending a dog fight are now a criminal offence”. 

As part of the allocation of funds, the Minister reiterated the need for animal welfare bodies to adhere to good practice and an updated Code of Practice is being provided to every recipient of aid to assist them in the promotion of sound management practices and in achieving high standards of animal welfare. 

The Minister reminded the public of the dedicated email address and helpline in operation for members of the public to report incidents of animal cruelty. He reiterated that he and his Department would continue to work closely with animal welfare groups with a view to achieving the best possible outcome for those animals and thanked the organisations for their work with the Department throughout the year..

For more information and/or to see funding granted to the various animal welfare organisations please visit – http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/press/pressreleases/2013/december/title,73200,en.html

 

The Five Freedoms 

  1. Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition
  2. Freedom from discomfort
  3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
  4. Freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour
  5. Freedom from fear and distress