A FIANNA Fáil Senator who abstained in a vote on controversial dog-breeding legislation has been called to Government Chief Whip John Curran’s office to explain his action.
Denis O’Donovan of Bantry, Co Cork, claimed that Minister for the Environment John Gormley was “going too far” with the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill.
“I actually think this could bring down the Government because the Greens are very entrenched, and there are seven or eight Fianna Fáil TDs who feel very strongly on it,” Mr O’Donovan said.
Rural Fianna Fáil deputies, including former ceann comhairle John O’Donoghue, Máire Hoctor and Mattie McGrath, have clashed with the Greens over aspects of the Bill.
In the Seanad on Wednesday, Mr Gormley signalled a series of changes he would introduce to the proposed law. He had previously written to Taoiseach Brian Cowen outlining a “suite of amendments” which, he said, represented “a significant concession on my part”.
The amendments concerned micro-chipping, inspections, fees, breeding limitations and a “review clause” to examine the impact on the greyhound industry 12 months after the law has been introduced.
Mr O’Donovan said: “But he still wanted us to vote for the Bill now as it stands, and I wasn’t prepared to take that leap of faith. I’m all for the regulation of puppy farms but as it stands, the Bill will over-regulate the greyhound industry and that’s something that concerns me.” He had been lobbied by coursing clubs and the greyhound industry “and I stood my ground”.
A spokesman for Mr Curran said: “The chief whip has requested a meeting with Denis O’Donovan to discuss the vote in the Seanad this week.” Mr O’Donovan, who wrote to Mr Curran in recent weeks saying he could not accept the Bill in its current form, said he expected to lose the party whip.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said the proposed legislation, based on the findings of an independent working group which reported five years ago, was approved by Government in December. It had passed all stages in the Seanad, and amendments would be introduced when it came to the Dáil shortly. “The legislation will be passed by the summer recess,” the spokesman said.
The Bill aims to regulate the operation of dog-breeding establishments and to require local authorities to establish and maintain registers of dog-breeding establishments. It also aims to prohibit the operation of unregistered dog-breeding establishments, and to amend the 1986 Control of Dogs Act.