Council agrees to write to DAERA on Animal Welfare concerns

Members of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council have agreed to write to the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to ask for the introduction of a Register of Banned Animal Welfare Offenders for those convicted of animal cruelty and a publicly accessible list of licensed dog breeders.
 
The motion, which was brought to the meeting of full Council on Monday evening, was proposed by Alderman Julian McGrath and Councillor Neil Kelly and seconded by Alderman Mark Cosgrove and Councillors Sam Flanagan, Michael Goodman and Ryan Wilson.
 
The motion read;
“This Council condemns animal cruelty in all its forms and acknowledges the
work of numerous animal welfare organisations and of local councils,
including ours, in tackling cruelty towards animals.
This Council notes that there is currently no register of those convicted of
offences against animals and there is no public register of licensed dog
breeders, allowing unlicensed puppy farms to proliferate.
This Council therefore resolves to write to the Department for Agriculture,
Environment and Rural Affairs to ask for the introduction of:
(a) a Register of Banned Animal Welfare Offenders for those convicted of
animal cruelty; and,
(b) a publicly accessible list of licensed dog breeders.
Finally, Council resolves to copy in each of the other ten councils to these
5 requests.”
 
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery said;

“As a Council, we condemn all forms of animal cruelty and acknowledge the work of numerous animal welfare organisations in tackling this cruelty. Unfortunately, the absence of a public register of licensed dog breeders allows unlicensed puppy farms to proliferate. It is our hope that the introduction of a register of convicted offenders against animals will help to stamp out the intentional suffering upon innocent animals.”