FOI Reveals Record-Keeping Void In Kildare’s Dog Breeding Oversight

No emails or letters regarding dog breeding establishments were exchanged between the the Department of Agriculture and the council since January 2023.

Kildare County Council has confirmed it does not keep a log of complaints, has no record of enforcement actions, and holds no internal reviews related to dog breeding establishments in the county.

It also confirmed that a search of internal drives and email accounts using the keyword “DBE”, short for Dog Breeding Establishments, produced no relevant results for enforcement, internal assessments, or external communications.

This means no emails or letters regarding dog breeding establishments were exchanged between the Department of Agriculture and the council since January 2023.

In response to a Freedom of Information request from Kfm, the council stated that no records exist for four of the six categories requested, including:

    Enforcement actions taken against breeders

    Complaints received

    Internal reviews, memos, or staffing evaluations

    Correspondence with the Department of Agriculture

Specifically, the council wrote that “a log of complaints relating to DBEs is not kept and therefore does not exist.”

Only two categories of the FOI request yielded records: partially redacted inspection reports and the county’s DBE register for 2023 and 2024.

The registers show that ten breeding establishments were licensed in 2024, up from nine in 2023. 

Some of these facilities are authorised to keep more than 100 breeding "bitches" and over 300 dogs.

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

Despite the commercial scale of the industry, the council disclosed no information about how complaints are handled, how inspections are evaluated, or whether any welfare concerns have been raised - because, it said, no records are held.

The FOI decision was described as a “part grant”.

Among the inspection reports released to Kfm, some issues identified at some of the establishments included the following:

    One breeder had to be advised on vaccination protocol, specifically the “timing” of vaccinations.

    At another establishment, some dogs were being kept in a “crate” outside the designated kennel area.

 A report noted the absence of a thermometer on site. The operator was told to source one. The same report highlighted poor storage of chemical cleaners and medication, stating improvements were needed.

One facility was described as operating “below standards” following an inspection visit last April. 

The kennels were not purpose-built, although deemed “sufficient if used.”

Cleaning and disinfecting were described as “very poor”, and waste disposal was noted as “not sufficient.”

No identification records for dogs were found at that site.

In a follow up inspection, the inspector noted how cleaning and disinfecting was being carried out, while the breeder showed records including dog owner details.

The report noted how "significant improvements"  were carried out bringing the establishment to a "standard now acceptable". 

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 remit of the Department of Agriculture.

The council only released details of dog breeding establishments and protocols after Kfm submitted an FOI request, having previously stated that they are "not publicly available".

Meanwhile, figures from the Department of Agriculture show that Kildare has had only one year of recorded prosecutions under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 since 2022.

In 2024, Kildare registered six separate offences of animal cruelty.

There were no recorded prosecutions in Kildare in 2022, 2023, or the first half of 2025, according to data from the Department. 

Animal welfare enforcement often depends on public complaints, while minor welfare breaches may be dealt with through advice, improvement notices, or animal seizure without court action.