Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan has welcomed the fact that from today there will be a publicly accessible national database of all registered dog breeding establishments.

Speaking today, Senator Boylan said:

“This is a welcome first step in greater transparency but Minister McConalogue needs to establish a national database that collates dog breeder information and dog microchip details. 

“The database of breeders will allow people to decide if they want to purchase a dog from a puppy farm or not. However, in order to address the illegal trade in dogs we need to bring the microchip and dog breeding information into a single database and enforce the regulations of the online sale of pets.  

“Illegal online adverts go up every day and the Minister has yet to prosecute a single case despite detailed evidence being sent to him on a regular basis. So, the central dog breeder database is welcome but there is lots more that the Minister can and should do.”