Ards and North Down Council is to look at setting up an animal abuse register for the borough, following Stormont's failure to establish an NI wide database.
At the council’s recent Environment Committee, elected members agreed to a motion forwarded by Independent Unionist Councillor Tom Smith, with an amendment by Green Councillor Rachel Woods.
Environment Minister Edwin Poots said in June this year an animal cruelty register in Northern Ireland would be “untenable” for legal and financial reasons. Work on creating a database has been taking place for years, with Belfast City Council passing a motion calling on Stormont to initiate an animal cruelty register as far back as 2015.
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The motion, if passed, is hoped to be a first step towards local authorities across Northern Ireland setting up a de facto register, in the wake of Stormont’s failure to provide one. The motion states: “This council abhors animal cruelty and believes an animal abuse register would be of immense help in preventing those convicted of animal cruelty from owning or breeding animals.
“Given the failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce a central register for all of Northern Ireland, this council tasks officers to bring back a report detailing how it can set up a local animal welfare offenders register for this borough, and to consider working at a local government level with other councils and departments.
“It also expresses its disappointment in the failure of the DAERA Minister to introduce Lucy’s Law and Reggie’s Law into Northern Ireland in the last assembly mandate and will write to the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to request an update on the development of this legislation.”
Councillor Smith told the chamber: “This is something I find unites people everywhere - we see the terrible stories in the press of the abuse animals go through, and people are always calling us to do more. I know Stormont has strengthened sentences given out to people, but when you talk to members of the public about a animal cruelty register, they wonder why it hasn’t been done before.
“It has gained widespread support across all political parties, and the USPCA has been calling for a register for many years. The simple purpose is to identify those who have been convicted of animal cruelty, in particular those who have received bans from keeping.”
He added: “My preference would be a central register to cover all the country. A couple of months ago the Minister for the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said they were unable to take it forward - people across all political parties were extremely disappointed by this.
“It would be an important tool to ensure responsible breeding, and for charities that rehome animals to be able to access a database giving them that more confidence that the animals they are handing over aren’t going to people who have been previously convicted of animal abuse crimes.”
He said: “In Northern Ireland, when we talk about animal welfare, the responsibility is split between DAERA, who are responsible for farm animals, the PSNI who look after wildlife crimes and animal fighting, and councils who look after domestic pets and horses. So we have a unique opportunity here to do something.”
He added: “”If we can do this, if we can have a local database, then what is to stop us going to the other councils, and getting them to do the same? In essence you would have a de facto Northern Ireland wide register. It would not be perfect by any means, but it would certainly be better than what we have.”
Green Councillor Rachel Woods: “We do have a particular issue with animal cruelty and the lack of legislation to regulate puppy and kitten sales. In 2020 over 5,000 complaints were received by councils on animal welfare concerns, and they are only the ones reported.”
She added: “Given the lack of political will, and without an executive, I don't see why local government couldn’t take the lead. We can do this ourselves alongside the ports, the Department of Justice, DAERA, NIEA and so on.”
She called for NI to adopt Lucy’s Law, a law in Britain which ensures cats and dogs under six months old would only be sold to breeders directly, and bans third party sellers selling young pups unless they bred them themselves. She also called for the adoption of Reggie’s Law, which covers the sale of online pets, and requires proof of ID before selling.
The motion was unanimouslyy passed by all the parties, and a council officer report will be returned looking at the practicalities of a local register.
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