A major initiative of animal welfare issues was announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mr Walsh, yesterday.
He announced the setting up of a Farm Welfare Advisory Council, a Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare and a programme to raise standards in the areas of farm animal transport and handling in Ireland.
The Farm Welfare Advisory Committee will be made up of veterinarians, animal welfare groups, farm organisations, transporters and representatives from Governments, North and South.
The council, which will be initially on a non-statutory basis, will be chaired by Prof Patrick Fottrell, formerly of UCG.
The Minister said the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare would be made up of qualified scientific experts from the disciplines of animal husbandry, animal behaviour, bacteriology, clinical medicine, epidemiology, parasitology and virology.
Its job will be to examine and advise the Minister on issues where expert advice and an "outside" perspective was warranted.
Mr Walsh said as part of the Department's commitment to improving welfare standards, the programme to raise standards in animal handling and transport would involve the circulation of information and guidelines to farmers and carriers and the implementation of an inspection system to ensure that the system was complied with.
The initiatives, he said, were being taken to build on measures taken over the years including strict rules on the shipping of animals and a continuing commitment to animal welfare groups which will receive 35,000 to aid their work this year. This would increase the funding the groups have received since 1995 to €2.42 million.