Sir, – It is a kindness to say the Animal Welfare Grant Programme (2023) is a welcome acknowledgment by the Government that frontline animal welfare work deserves funding.
In 2023, €6 million has been allocated to 101 animal welfare charities nationwide.
This represents a derisory increase of €200,000 on 2022 funding.
Given the Herculean task faced by these organisations to get Irish people to respect and care for animals, this funding will be spent without any noticeable curtailment of animal abuse.
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A number of animal welfare organisations will use their grant to settle large outstanding veterinary bills.
In real terms, very little of the allocated funding is added to the financial store of the business end of animal rescue.
The practical nature of animal rescue organisations ensures a “spend not hoard” approach to income.
With the spectre of outstanding bills and endless engagement with the fundraising process, the animal rescue work goes on.
A ¤6 million allocation appears generous but it’s only a dot on a spreadsheet, spread wafer thin.
In Budget 2024 the financial weighting scales saw, in the right pan, €95 million allocated to horse racing and greyhound racing, while in the left pan, €6 million was allocated to animal welfare.
Funding two industries that are based on animal abuse while lobbing a financial crumb to animal welfare organisations represents the Government’s attempt to reduce the waft of the hypocrisy.
Clearly, a funding recalibration needs to be undertaken, which would see the withdrawal in its entirety of funding for horse racing and greyhound racing while allocating realistic funding to animal welfare services.
Until that happens, the Department of Agriculture’s annual Christmas gift, given on its behalf by the Minister, has to be met with, “thanks Minister, but you really shouldn’t have”.
No, seriously, you shouldn’t have. – Yours, etc,
JOHN TIERNEY,
Campaigns director
Association of Hunt Saboteurs,
Dublin 1.