Kildare County Council Says Access To Inspection Reports Into Dog Breeding Sites "Not Publicly Available"

Friday, 20 June 2025 15:13

By Martin Osborne

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

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

In response to a request by Kfm, 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.