AGRICULTURE Minister Simon Coveney has been asked to enforce stronger animal abuse legislation after The Limerick Post highlighted a number of cases where horses were kicked or beaten to death in the city suburbs.
Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea responded to the newspaper’s reports by contacting Minister Coveney and asking him to use the full weight of the law to punish those responsible for the mistreatment of animals.
“Everywhere I go people are very upset about the story in last week’s Limerick Post about the mistreatment of horses. The last time I remember a reaction on this scale to a story was the shooting of Detective Garda Gerry McCabe,” he said.
According to Deputy O’Dea, who is a trustee of the Limerick Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the 2013 Animal Health and Welfare Act gives increased powers to investigate complaints of animal cruelty, and stricter penalties on convictions.
He believes the new legislation now needs to be enforced. New penalties for convictions include powers granted to a judge to ban a person from owning an animal as well as a five-year prison sentence.
“Under new legislation a summary offence allows for six months imprisonment. In very bad cases of cruelty, courts should use the full powers available to apply for trial and indictment. People demand an appropriate response to cruelty to animals”.
He has also asked Minister Coveney to disclose how many people have been tried and indicted in Ireland for mistreatment of animals in the last five years. He is also seeking details of the fines imposed under the new legislation.
Speaking at a city council meeting on the control of horses, Limerick Animal Welfare (LAW) spokeswoman Marion Fitzgibbon said that call-outs to deal with abandoned animals had now become a “frightening” experience for veterinary officers.
