“I Trust Charities, Not the Department”: Fianna Fáil TD Blasts Own Government Over Animal Welfare Issues

In response, Minister of State Niall Collins accepted that the current system is not working.

A Fianna Fáil TD has strongly criticised his own Government over failures in Ireland’s dog breeding industry.

He said Ireland’s multi-million-euro dog breeding industry is operating in the shadows, with weak enforcement and unreliable data enabling widespread animal welfare abuses.

That was his stark warning delivered in the Dáil.

Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O’Sullivan accused the Government, which he is a member of, of turning a blind eye to unregulated breeding, saying the figures simply don’t add up. 

While official data claims just 7,000 to 8,000 pups are bred annually in licensed facilities, over 25,000 dogs were advertised for sale online last year, and welfare organisations estimate that up to 80,000 pups are produced each year, he said.

The Department of Agriculture claims under 9,000 dogs were exported in 2024, but frontline charities like the ISPCA and DSPCA say the true figure is likely five times higher, O' Sullivan claimed.

“I trust the charities. Not the Department," he said.

He warned that Ireland is quietly becoming a puppy farm hub for the UK and EU.

O’Sullivan criticised what he called the “measly” €500 fine handed down in a recent animal cruelty case, arguing that breeders making €1,000 to €2,000 per pup will “continue to take their chances” so long as penalties remain trivial.

He accused the State of merely giving charities “a few bob” to tick the boxes on animal welfare while the real scale of unregulated breeding goes unchecked.

"I trust their figures more than I trust the Department's figures. When they tell me there is more than 40,000 pups being exported every year, I trust them and not necessarily the figures the Minister of State read out."

In response, Minister of State Niall Collins, also a Fianna Fail TD, accepted that the current system is not working. 

He called for an update to the 2019 legislation, and admitted that local authorities are under-resourced, with many operating with just a handful of dog wardens.

"The whole area of dog breeding is a huge industry at the moment. The 2019 Act was a very progressive start but we must revisit it and probably update it. I have always been a huge advocate of animal welfare. We must always strive to continue to do more to promote a better culture of animal welfare, whether it is for dogs, cats, horses or whatever.," Deputy Collins said.

Collins confirmed that responsibility for dog breeding regulation is being transferred to the Department of Agriculture, where he hopes oversight will improve.

"I want to acknowledge the hundreds of animal welfare groups around the country. They do receive funding from the Department of agriculture but it is not enough."

O’Sullivan wasn’t reassured. 

He claimed that even the Department’s vets lack the powers to carry out unscheduled inspections.

"I am aware this will all come under the Department of agriculture but I have a concern about that. I understand why it is being done, because the vets are with the Department of agriculture, but there are not enough vets. The vets will say there are not enough of them. They do not even have powers to do unsanctioned visits or inspections of properties," O Sullivan said. 

Just this week, Kfm highlighted how 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.

You can read that story here.