Debate contribution: Review of Local Councils’ Animal Welfare Policies

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 6 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

6 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Review of Local Councils’ Animal Welfare Policies

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4929807

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I also support the motion and thank the Members for tabling it. As an SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster, I am proud to support the motion and to stand up for the highest standards of animal welfare in Northern Ireland. With regard to the amendment, I look forward to the Minister placing some substance on the words:

"work to actively examine the case for inspecting and licensing rescue and rehoming organisations".

I am not sure about the words "work to actively examine the case". I also hope to get a time frame for the date for the relevant legislation, please, Minister. I recognise the commitment of my colleagues on Mid Ulster District Council. They have consistently championed animal welfare and led the way in calling for better protection — especially my colleague Councillor Malachy Quinn — not least through their efforts to establish an all-island animal cruelty register. That is exactly the kind of practical cross-border cooperation that we need, and I agree that it must be on both sides of the border to make it happen. However, those who abuse animals should not be able to escape accountability by simply moving across the border, as is presently the case. I also commend the Dogs Trust, the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) and the many charities and volunteers who provide a lifeline for animals every day. Their work is motivated by compassion, not profit, and often fills the gaps left by government policy. Those gaps are wide. We should all be alarmed that healthy dogs can be euthanised after just five days in council-run pounds. For many of us who were brought up with dogs and in farmlands, they are our friends and family friends. To see or hear that that has happened within five days is heart-wrenching.

Go raibh maith agat.

I have paid tribute to them. Yes, I agree, because those dogs have been part of our families and to think that someone else just so casually gets rid of them after five days is heart-wrenching. The routine euthanasia of healthy dogs is outdated, inhumane and entirely unacceptable. It should only be considered when an animal has untreatable ill health or presents a serious and unmanageable behavioural risk; otherwise, we are failing in our duty of care. Councils are entrusted with enforcing animal welfare legislation, but, too often, there is a lack of consistency, rigour and transparency in how that duty is carried out. While DAERA must provide stronger leadership and oversight, councils have a responsibility to ensure that enforcement is not reduced to a tick-box exercise, and they require the resources to fulfil that. The result is inconsistency, confusion and cruelty. A dog's fate should not depend on its postcode. There is variation between councils in the North on how animal welfare policies are implemented, particularly in the area of dog pound contracts and practices. Each council is responsible for its own dog warden services and pound contracts, often outsourcing to different private or charitable providers. As a result, policies on holding periods, rehoming practices and euthanasia timetables can differ significantly. On the rehoming and rescue partnerships, some councils have established strong relationships with rescue organisations and make consistent efforts to rehome unclaimed dogs, while others have less proactive engagement, leading to higher rates of euthanasia. Councils vary also in how publicly they report on seizure rates, euthanasia figures and the conditions of their contracted facilities. The lack of standardised reporting makes comparison difficult and reduces accountability. At present, dog pounds and kennels are not uniformly licensed or regularly inspected by DAERA, and each council has its own approach to oversight, if any. Mandatory licensing and unannounced inspections are urgently needed.

With regard to enforcement against animal welfare offences, while councils enforce the Welfare of Animals Act 2011 for companion animals, the resources, training and priorities that are allocated to that enforcement differ, leading to inconsistency in how cases are investigated and prosecuted. Where the wider dog control framework is concerned, particularly the licensing system and the enforcement of microchipping requirements, stronger regulation would help to reduce the number of stray dogs and relieve pressure on council pounds and rescue shelters. That inconsistency is at the heart of calls by organisations such as the Dogs Trust, the USPCA and many others for a standardised regional approach that has common policies, mechanisms and transparent accountability. Therefore, across all councils: our shared ask is: a no-euthanasia policy for healthy dogs that are able to be rehomed; mandatory licensing and unannounced inspections for all pounds and kennels; councils to publish regular data on euthanasia rates, rehoming efforts and adoption efforts; a comprehensive review of dog control and welfare policies, ensuring that they reflect best practice and current standards; and a renewed commitment to an animal cruelty register that is developed in partnership with colleagues in the rest of the island. Again, I am proud that our SDLP team in Mid Ulster has been to the fore in pressing for change, but councils cannot fix this alone. It requires leadership from the top from DAERA and the Assembly.

The way that we treat animals reflects the kind of society that we want.

866 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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