ILLEGAL DOG-FIGHTING contests could be forced out of Northern Ireland and into the Republic because of a crackdown on the activity there.
The North’s Minister for Agriculture, Michelle Gildernew, has said she is worried about pushing the problem across the Border.
“What we need to do is work closely with the authorities in the Republic to make sure our policies are compatible and that we are not moving a problem from one area to another,” she said.
“There is a problem with dog-fighting in general,” the Minister said in Cavan earlier this week. “It is a very hidden problem but it is there.
“We have a new Dog Control Bill which does not cover dog-fighting but we are working very closely with our partners in local government and the PSNI to eradicate dog-fighting.
“What we do not want to do is to eradicate it in the North and push it across the Border. We need to ensure that does not happen.”
She said the Border could create a hiding place for moving or hiding dogs as happened with cock-fighting. “Dog-fighting, cock-fighting and badger-baiting simply have to be done away with and I will not tolerate any kind of animal cruelty,” she said.
“What is needed is a holistic all-island approach.”
Ms Gildernew said the new Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, which had been agreed between North and South, provided a proper vehicle for progressing similar policies.
A 17-month investigation two years ago, led by BBC undercover reporter Mandy McAuley, uncovered 15 illegal dog-fighting gangs in the North. Links to dog-fighting groups in the Republic were also mentioned.