Committee Updates. (17th May 2014)
Animal Welfare Conference, Dublin Castle 16th May 2014.
The Animal Welfare Conference held in Dublin Castle on Friday 16th May was the first of a planned annual gathering of those interested in furthering animal welfare standards. I.W.T.F. committee members accepted an invitation to attend and engage with other groups active on the ground attending to animals in Ireland today.
Opening the discussion the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD said that he hoped that the Conference would help to highlight the importance of animal welfare in all of its aspects as well as the role of the various stakeholders, including the many animal welfare organisations’ present, in promoting the welfare of animals. Minister Coveney also said that powers of reporting animal health failings will be given to animal NGO (ISPCA, DSPCA, local authorities) “enforcement officers” and not just for his Department inspectors. However, all animal health concerns on farms will be dealt with by the Department of Agriculture.
For members the first session dealing with the Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2013 and its accompanying Statutory Instruments and codes was of primary concern. This was addressed by speakers from Farming, Veterinary and Animal welfare groups who broadly welcomed the Bill as a major achievement and congratulated the Minister and his Department for their success in involving stakeholders at every stage of the process.
The session as an open forum for discussion was nearly spoilt by a misguided and unprofessional question from the lady chairing this portion of the event. It displayed a lack of knowledge of the reality of hunting today and was incorrect on two counts in its accusation. An obvious ploy to satisfy one element of those attending, a little prior research reading our code of conduct might have saved her the embarrassment.
What this lady probably saw as journalistic freedom only highlights the need for the hunting community to address the bias in some media circles. The document below may help to start this process and enlighten those willing to approach a forum like this with an open mind.
To download the document click the underlined text; Terriermans countryside
The remaining sessions while not directly relating to hunting gave an interesting look into the equine world and the future of food production from the farm to the marketplace. This was a very productive conference with new contacts made and strategies for the future formulated. The Minister and his department must be commended for the courage to address difficult issues and this conference could be a forum in the future where groups can focus on what they have in common rather than what divides them.
