Danny Healy-Rae urges single authority for dog control on farms
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about dog attacks, access to farmland and the need for clearer enforcement, arguing for one responsible authority and stronger legislation to protect farmers and livestock. He defended licensed hunters and responsible dog owners while calling for Gardaí to follow up reports and for tighter rules on recreational dogs.
Danny Healy-Rae said responsibility for dog control and farm protection must be clarified, arguing it should sit with either the Department of Agriculture or local authorities. He described the current situation as an anomaly that members must straighten out so farmers receive consistent support.
He insisted that Gardaí are the only body able to deal with incidents effectively and said farmers should be safe when confronting trespassers or those causing distress to livestock. He called for reports to be followed up and for authorities to take details such as vehicle or cattle numbers when incidents occur.
He emphasised that licensed hunters and hunting associations who are registered, insured and keep dogs under control are not the problem. He warned against labelling responsible licence-holders and stressed that many hunting groups operate legally and with insurance for accidental damage.
He argued legislation needs tightening, especially in black-spot areas where walkways and cycleways cross farmland. He said walkways should be fenced with sheep wire and dogs on public paths without permission must be leashed, and that policy should be developed to address these gaps.
Referencing accounts from across rural areas, he noted older farmers have stopped checking animals on bank holidays and weekends due to run-ins and abuse. He backed calls — including a campaign of no dogs allowed in some areas — to prevent irresponsible behaviour by a minority from restricting access for responsible users.
Call for a single authority
Danny Healy-Rae said responsibility for dog control and farm protection must be clarified, arguing it should sit with either the Department of Agriculture or local authorities. He described the current situation as an anomaly that members must straighten out so farmers receive consistent support.
Enforcement and farmer safety
He insisted that Gardaí are the only body able to deal with incidents effectively and said farmers should be safe when confronting trespassers or those causing distress to livestock. He called for reports to be followed up and for authorities to take details such as vehicle or cattle numbers when incidents occur.
Distinguishing licensed hunts from problem users
He emphasised that licensed hunters and hunting associations who are registered, insured and keep dogs under control are not the problem. He warned against labelling responsible licence-holders and stressed that many hunting groups operate legally and with insurance for accidental damage.
Legislation, walkways and leash rules
He argued legislation needs tightening, especially in black-spot areas where walkways and cycleways cross farmland. He said walkways should be fenced with sheep wire and dogs on public paths without permission must be leashed, and that policy should be developed to address these gaps.
Impact on access and older farmers
Referencing accounts from across rural areas, he noted older farmers have stopped checking animals on bank holidays and weekends due to run-ins and abuse. He backed calls — including a campaign of no dogs allowed in some areas — to prevent irresponsible behaviour by a minority from restricting access for responsible users.
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Transcript
We know that they are employed by local authorities, and I suppose we need to have one authority, it's either going to be the Department of Agriculture or the local authorities, because we need them to be responsible for the farmers, to help the farmers and ensure that they are doing their job as well, because you can't have, you know, the Department of Agriculture or British Sooch, and the dog one is not responsible for them, so that's a kind of an anomaly that must be straightened out by us as members here, and again, it's absolutely ridiculous when I hear Deputy Willie Aird saying that you can't challenge people on our own land. I mean, that will tell you how far and where the thing has gone, because that's the truth, and that shouldn't be the case. If we are responsible for our own farms and our own place and our own property, there should be no-one else able to surmount that, I'll take no notice of us, but farmers must get assistance, and the only one that can deal with situations like this is the Gardaí, and there's a lot of work to be done, like Willie has said, and we need to get our act together and ensure that it will be the one authority in charge of the dog one, because they have a role to play, and if someone reports that their sheep are being worried about their animals, it can be icy them after cows as well, and after calves, and after horses, and that, like the damage they can do to them, very valuable animals, I know all sheep are valuable to the farmers that haven't, but they can be way more expensive, and if a farmer confronts someone, he should be safe doing that, and take the numbers of their cattle, whatever, and they have to be followed up by the Gardaí, I can see no other way of doing it. Yeah, look, just one good point you raised there, Danny, is, look, I have seen it, and I'll be speaking to farmers in Danigal, down to West Kerry, the older generation of farms have given up going in the hills and bank holidays and weekends, because of the serious issue with run-ins with people, they've been abused, they've been shouted at, for those people that stood here, I suppose, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, when the rest of us emigrated, and they're treated like dirt now, at this time of their life, they're afraid to go and check their animals, and bank holidays and weekends, that's totally outrageous in this day and age. Thank you, Carialloch. I'm totally in agreement with that, it's unacceptable in this day and age, but let's be quite clear on this, I hunt, I hunt in horseback, I shoot, we're registered, we're licensed, we have dogs that are under control, they do what they're meant to do, they are not the problem here, let's be quite clear on that, the NARG see the members, they have a license, they have a gun, they have a dog, they're licensed, they go where they're meant to go, they do what they're meant to do, they are not the problem, and I wouldn't like them labelled in anything to do with this, and that's been quite clear. Before we go any further, just before we go any further, the problem is, as you say, in black spot areas, where the dogs have been let off, the farmers have cooperated to put these walkways, cycleways and everything through their land, permission has been given, I've been involved in lots of them, our walkways are always fenced off with sheep wire, and should have been all fenced off with sheep wire, any dog that's on a walkway that hasn't got permission to be there, should be on a leash, 100%, if he's not on a leash, he shouldn't be out on a walkway, in any hill, anything, legislation needs to be tightened up on this, and needs to be tightened up firmly, and I think this committee here today, going forward with your suggestions and your feedback, we will put policy together, and we will firm this up, and hopefully it will alleviate some of the problem, but like, I'd just like to be associated with that it's not all owners of dogs, because I'm a pet owner, I control my dogs, I have a hunting association, I go horseback riding, we don't cause problems, and if a problem arises, let's be quite clear on this, and you often have a problem, we are insured for any problem that is caused out there, so if a dog runs out in front of a car, and a car is damaged, we're insured by the NARJC, or by the hunting association, so like, we're legalised by doing what we do, so let's be quite clear on that. Thanks, Chair. Look, I just want to make the point here today, I have no problem with hunts, and these people coming on our lands, they've been there ever, they're well behaved, you do your best, but the recreational user, the walkers that are coming onto our land, this is where the problem is, and that's why we need to see legislation brought in, that bans the recreational user, bringing his dog onto our farmland, and if that can't be done, and there needs to be a strong statement put out from this house, to say those words, that we can't have this happening any longer. Thank you, Kaila. Thank you very much, Chairman, I suppose, a common thread here, and nobody, Senator Brady, is talking about the responsible people with permission, or indeed the people who are keeping their dogs under effective control at all time. But unfortunately, and that's why we've had no choice but to commence our campaign five years ago of no dogs allowed, the behaviour of a small minority is going to impact on the access that the responsible people are going to have to our farmland. We cannot continue to have a situation where dogs are going to be allowed on hills, and effectively, and Deputy Kinney referenced an accidental breakout from a dog of somebody doing everything right, and these things happen, they can't be addressed. But the majority of attacks on our sheep, and indeed on our livestock, are in their two headings of owners, either arrogance or ignorance. And the arrogance are the people who, for the various examples given that's happening, maybe illegal activities, or assumed entitlement and assumed right, and then we have the ignorance, people who just don't appreciate. And I would give some hop of the ball to the ignorant aspect of it. But the arrogant aspect of it is no way acceptable. We've had a member of ours who was physically abused on his own farmland, not very many miles from here, Chairman, only a couple of years ago, one of the first people to give access to his lands for recreational users. And when he merely asked for the person to keep his dog off his land, he was physically abused on his own farmland. Now we have to get to a situation where there can be no more confusion around that. Deputy Lawless.