A voice for Irish Horses Campaining

I am blogging this to show my support for the campaign. Please take the time to read and better still take some positive action.

Many people will be aware of the welfare crisis that has hit Ireland’s horses since the demise of the Celtic Tiger. The Irish Horse Welfare Trust is calling for the implementation of the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill as a matter of extreme urgency to give a voice to the forgotten horses of Ireland.
The new Animal Health & Welfare Bill is currently in the final draft stages in Leinster House. It has taken almost 2 years to reach this stage and yet it is still waiting to be published and brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas. We still do not know when the bill will be finalised. As this has been one of the worst years for cases of equine neglect in Ireland the welfare bill needs to be passed urgently.
The new bill is a starting point for animal welfare legislation in Ireland, repealing the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and Protection of Animals Act (amended 1965). Although the summary draft of the bill focuses primarily on aspects of farming, such as the control and eradication of animal diseases, and the slaughter and disposal of animals/animal by-products, it also seeks to update the Protection of Animals Act 1911 on cruelty-related offences. It will also include provisions to deal with inspections for specified animals and the conditions in which they are kept.

Campaigning

How you can speak up for the horses of Ireland who need our help? While it is vital for the IHWT to offer help to neglected & abused horses on a day to day basis, it is only through campaign work that we can make significant changes for the horses of tomorrow. “A Voice for Ireland’s Horses” campaign aims to put pressure on the Government to implement the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill, which could help make a difference to the lives of thousands of horses in Ireland. Please give your support to this campaign and sign our petition.

 

Take action

The IHWT is asking you for your help by lobbying Government to ensure that the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill is passed as a matter of extreme urgency. Join our “A Voice for Ireland’s Horses” campaign and write to you local TDs and Senators. Click here for a sample letter that you can use. Below is a link to the Oireachtas database which gives you all the contact numbers and email addresses for TDs and Senators.
http://oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=mem

 

 

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION RIGHT NOW!

1.Spread the word about our “A Voice for Ireland’s Horses” campaign. Tell your friends, family and co-workers that the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill urgently needs to come into legislation.
2.Click here to sign our petition or click here to download a hard copy and ask your friends, family and work colleagues to sign it.
3.Write to your local TDs and Senators. The power of a letter should never be forgotten. TDs are elected by our voice, so make your voice heard. See the link above for contact details. Click here for a sample letter that you can use.
4.Phone your local TDs expressing your concern that the bill has still not come before Government. All telephone calls to TDs are logged and your local representative will be aware of the number of calls relating to a particular issue.
5.An increasing number of TDs have accounts on sites like Facebook and Twitter why not get in touch with them about the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill.
6.Donate and help us to continue with the campaign.


The following quote from Mr. Brendan Smith (Minister, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) shows that the new Animal Health & Welfare Bill is part of the Programme for Government however the intended timescale is now overdue;
“The Animal Health and Welfare Bill which gives effect to commitments in the Programme for Government and the Renewed Programme for Government on issues relating to animal health and welfare is being prepared in my Department. The new legislation will amend and consolidate legislation in the area of animal health, particularly to reflect the changed disease status of our animals. Existing legislation will also be updated to ensure that the welfare of all animals, including non-farm animals is properly protected and that the penalties for offenders are increased significantly. The Bill also provides for the consolidation of responsibility for the welfare of all animals (including non-farm animals) within my Department. I intend to submit the proposed heads of this Bill to the Government at an early date this year.”
(Ref. www.kildarestreet.com/writtenanswers/Tuesday, 9 March 2010/)