Zero tolerance must be taken to animal cruelty, says Cork TD

A Cork TD has said a zero tolerance approach must be taken toward cases of animal cruelty, with new figures showing an eight-fold increase in cases of animal neglect over a five year period.

Department of Agriculture statistics also showed a five-year high in animal ownership bans last year.

According to figures released to Pádraig O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central, 24 people received fines in 2024 under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

Those fines were for €5,000 or less, and represent an eightfold increase on 2020, when three people were fined under the Act.

Since then, each successive year has shown a steady increase in the number of fines given under the Act, with nine in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 17 in 2023.

The number of people receiving animal owner disqualifications for life or for more than 20 years in 2024 was 13, up from 10 the previous year.

Five people received 10-year bans, up from one in 2023, seven people received bans of between five and 10 years, up from three in 2023, and two received bans of under five years.

Mr O’Sullivan said it was clear that Ireland had a serious animal welfare issue which, he said, largely went undocumented.

“The instances that I come across in Cork city bears that out, and I believe the Department of Agriculture and local authorities need to treat this matter with all the seriousness it deserves,” he said.

“A zero tolerance policy in relation to animal cruelty must inform the decisions that they make in the cases that they take against offenders.”

The dedicated e-mail address for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare is: animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie.