Bill To Overhaul Puppy-Farm Laws Proposed As Kildare Council Says Breeding Reports Not Publicly Available

The legislation will be brought forward tomorrow.

A Wicklow TD will bring forward new legislation tomorrow aimed at overhauling Ireland’s dog-breeding laws.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore says the country is in the midst of a dog-welfare crisis, with more than 3,000 dogs currently in pounds and rescue centres, and abandonments surging since the pandemic.

Over 7,300 dogs entered Irish pounds in 2022 — a 77% rise on the previous year — and 340 were put down.

Deputy Whitmore says Ireland has become “the puppy-farm capital of Europe,” with up to 30,000 dogs exported every year into illegal markets abroad - a figure that could reach 100,000 when backyard breeding is included.

She said weak regulation under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 has allowed harmful practices to flourish, including breeding females as young as four months and repeated litters.

Deputy Whitmore's Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2025 proposes a series of major changes: capping breeding females at 30 per site, setting minimum and maximum breeding ages, limiting litters to one per year and four in a lifetime, enforcing a 10:1 staff-to-animal ratio, banning surgical artificial insemination, and updating fees to reflect higher welfare standards.

Deputy Whitmore says without stronger laws, rescue centres will continue to “pick up the pieces” of an under-regulated industry.

Kildare County Council does not provide inspection reports for registered dog breeding premises.

In response to a recent request by Kfm News, a spokesperson said they are "not publicly available".

That's despite growing scrutiny of Ireland’s booming designer puppy trade.

There is also no limit to how many dogs a registered premises can have.

The council told Kfm that breeding facilities are inspected before being licensed, with annual follow-ups.

But animal welfare issues, they say, fall under the Department of Agriculture.

There are currently nine registered dog breeding establishments in Kildare - in areas including Naas, Athy, Newbridge, and Monasterevin.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing at these sites.

Sunday Times Journalist John Mooney, who spent a year investigating Ireland’s puppy trade, believes some local authorities are not enforcing standards.

He said puppies bred in Ireland are being flown to buyers as far away as Southeast Asia where they can sell for €8000.

He said legislation was originally intended to prevent large-scale dog breeding, but instead, local councils began licensing dog breeding facilities to avoid the costs of seizing and rehoming animals.

He said the conditions of some puppy farms across the country are "horrendous".

He explained that as a result, rather than curbing the industry, the law ended up accelerating its growth.