Policy and Planning for Animal Welfare in County Kilkenny
Policy and Planning for Animal Welfare in County Kilkenny
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, “Animal welfare should not be treated as a stand-alone issue but as one among many socially important goals including food safety and security, human and animal health, environmental sustainability, worker safety, rural development, gender equality, and social justice.”
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/animalwelfare/AW_Exp-meeting_EN_1.pdf
To create a truly sustainable world, we must take care of animals, people and the planet. Positive, lasting change for animals can only be achieved if animal welfare is at the heart of the policies, legislation and behaviours of the people responsible for the lives of animals.
Ireland is a predominantly Catholic country and this has been instrumental in influencing our culture, these are extracts from the Pope’s recent Encyclical letter on the 24th May, 2015 which pertains to how we regard animals.
“An inadequate presentation of Christian anthropology gave rise to a wrong understanding of the relationship between human beings and the world. Often, what was handed on was a Promethean vision of mastery over the world, which gave the impression that the protection of nature was something that only the faint-hearted cared about. Instead, our “dominion” over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship.”[94]…. “It follows that our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings. We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people. Every act of cruelty towards any creature is “contrary to human dignity”.[69] … “Yet it would also be mistaken to view other living beings as mere objects subjected to arbitrary human domination.”… “ When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society.” …”Here we can add yet another argument for rejecting every tyrannical and irresponsible domination of human beings over other creatures. The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us.”…“It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential “resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves.” …“Rest on the seventh day is meant not only for human beings, but also so “that your ox and your donkey may have rest” (Ex 23:12). Clearly, the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
Animal Welfare Definition
“The most widely accepted definition of animal welfare is that it comprises the state of the animal's body and mind. Animal welfare scientists propose that the physical, mental, and “natural-living” aspects of welfare are interrelated and are all of ethical concern.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC340178/
Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare
- Freedom from Hunger and Thirst – by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
- Freedom from Discomfort – by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
- Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease – by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
- Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
- Freedom from Fear and Distress – by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
The Five Freedoms were first proposed in Britain in the 1960’s, originating with an enquiry into the welfare of animals that were kept in intensive farming conditions during 1965 in the UK.
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlblob&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=RSPCABlob&blobwhere=1210683196122&ssbinary=true
The WSPCA (World Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals) is requesting that there be a universal declaration on the welfare of animals.
http://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/sites/default/files/ca_-_en_files/case_for_a_udaw_tcm22-8305.pdf
Statistics on Pets
There are 191 million pets in the EU. Pet food manufacturers have a yearly turnover of €11 billion. http://www.eupaw.eu/docs/Final%20Report%20-%20EUPAW%20Evaluation.pdf
20% of Irish households have a dog and 14% have a cat. (European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) Facts and Figures 2012) http://www.fediaf.org/facts-figures/
850,000 homes in Ireland have at least one pet. €1134 is spent on dogs and €800 on pet cats annually. This article below says that spending on pets was unaffected by recession. http://www.pets.ie/pet_talk/irish-still-spoiling-pets-despite-recession/
Social Factors, demographics and spatial distribution of pet ownership in Ireland.
Research has proven that demographics have an impact on pet ownership. Pet ownership is also known to be directly linked to a concern for animal welfare. The following social factors have also had an influence on the increase in pet ownership.
• A dramatic rise in the number of people living alone—especially in cities.
• An increase in the numbers choosing not to have children, or having fewer children.
• Escalating divorce rates.
• Fewer close relatives living with easy reach of people’ s homes.
• Less involvement in local communities.
• Deteriorating friendships: people spending significantly fewer hours per week socializing with their friends than they did in the 1960s.
(Source: Putman, R.D. 2000. Bowling Alone. NewYork, NY: Simon & Schuster)
According to this UCD study “pet dog ownership was significantly associated with household composition, being significantly higher in lone adult households with children (odds ratio [OR]: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.86, 5.73) compared with single occupancy households (Table 1). “http://researchrepository.ucd.ie/bitstream/handle/10197/5776/2011final_BMCVR_Downes.pdf?sequence=2
The UCD study mentioned above shows the spatial distribution of pet ownership in Ireland. The findings show that “The density of dog owning households is much higher in urban than rural districts. However, the spatial patterns are clearly different when considering the spatial distribution of the proportion of dog owning households (Figure 3), with this proportion being lower in urban compared to rural districts. These same features are also dominant in the cat owning households of Ireland (Figure 4). Cat owning households are sparse in rural areas (Figure 2), but the proportion of cat owning households is higher in urban districts (Figure 4). These findings can be explained somewhat by the difference in the density of households throughout Ireland. The number of households in inner-city electoral divisions (EDs) was as high as 10,581 per ED, whereas rural EDs were as low as 23 per ED [26]. “
http://researchrepository.ucd.ie/bitstream/handle/10197/5776/2011final_BMCVR_Downes.pdf?sequence=2
Urban areas tend to have a greater regard for animal welfare whereas rural areas have traditionally regarded animals for their material value. The study above shows that there are a high number of pet owners in rural areas in Ireland. Pet ownership is directly linked to a concern for animal welfare which would suggest that both rural and urban areas in Ireland have a concern for animal welfare.
Pet ownership increases health and well being
Pet ownership is known to improve the health and well being of humans. This study shows the positive effects on the elderly population. Banks, M. R., & Banks, W. A. (2002). The effects of animal-assisted therapy on loneliness in an elderly population in long-term care facilities. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 57(7), M428-M432. There are many social benefits to children having pets, this CSO study states that children feel that they can talk to their pets, they make them feel loved and like to give and receive affection.
http://cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/education/2011/cas2011.pdf
Tourism
According to this report by the World Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals.
“Animals – both domestic and wild – are an important component of sustainable ecotourism. In fact, sustainable tourism involving animals employs tens of thousands of tourism workers and generates billions of dollars every year. The whale watching industry alone generates $2.1 billion dollars and employs 13,000 people around the world (Hood 2010). Bird and other wildlife watching in the U.S. have an annual economic value of $32 billion, according the US Fish & Wildlife Service (UNEP 2012). And, whale and bird watching are just two of the many sustainable tourism activities involving animals. Other examples include wildlife safaris, equine riding tours, touring animal rescue centres, turtle watching and bird watching – all of which, due to the rise in popularity of ecotourism – are becoming an increasingly important component of the sustainable tourism industry. When sustainable tourism depends on animals as a key component of the tourism product, their health and welfare are fundamental to long-term business success, consumer satisfaction, economic development, and biodiversity conservation.”
Consumers and Animal Welfare
EU Surveys suggest that there is significant public interest in animal welfare issues and there were high levels of public engagement in EU consultations linked to reviews of legislation. http://www.eupaw.eu/docs/Final%20Report%20-%20EUPAW%20Evaluation.pdf
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, there is an increased interest in animal welfare among consumers globally.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/293621/wrs011k_1_.pdf
Farm Animals
According to survey by the European Commission, “ Animal welfare is seen as a matter of great importance” by the public.” “A majority (63%) show some willingness to change their usual place of shopping in order to be able to purchase more animal welfare-friendly products.”
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_270_en.pdf
This Teagasc report on beef producing farms was commissioned based on the growing interest consumers have in Animal Welfare.
http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2013/2905/6153.pdf
Animal Cruelty
Each year the ISPCA National Animal Cruelty Helpline receives over 20,000 calls resulting in:
• Over 4,000 investigations
• Over 700 animals seized or surrendered
• 25 prosecutions initiated in 2014
http://www.ispca.ie/ispca_inspectorate_report_2014/
There were 30 cases of animal cruelty investigated by the Department of Agriculture in 2014. https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/30-cases-animal-cruelty-2014-e250000-fines-offing/
Minister O’Dowd gave his commitment to tackle wildlife crime which he says happens too frequently in Ireland. http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Corporate+Units/Press+Room/Speeches/2013/Address+by+Minister+O+Dowd+on+the+Governments+commitment+to+tackle+wildlife+crime+in+Ireland.htm
There are some of the wildlife crime cases.
http://www.irelandswildlife.com/tag/wildlife-crime/
Education and Spaying and Neutering
Education in schools on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership would greatly improve animal welfare. This is one initiative below.
http://www.educatetogether.ie/media/national-news/educate-together-pet-aware-lessons
Spaying and Neutering
Preventing litters of pups and kittens is part of responsible pet ownership. http://www.clarechampion.ie/the-cost-of-not-neutering/ According to a study done on Irish owners neutering their pets. “Companion animal overpopulation causes significant costs to humans and governments every year (Olson et al., Apr 1; Olson & Johnston, 1993). Evidence suggests there is a connection between the neutering status of pets and levels of pet straying, with low levels of neutering related to higher levels of straying in pet behaviour (Hsu, Severinghaus & Serpell, 2003; Diesel, Brodbelt & Laurence, 2010). The problem of overpopulation may be attributed to numerous factors that are intertwined including; a failure among pet owners to neuter their pets (Hsu, Severinghaus & Serpell, 2003; Natoli et al., 2006; Soto et al., 2006; Weng et al., 2006), failure to implement early neutering of cats and dogs (Ortega-Pacheco et al., 2007; Farnworth et al., 2013)and poor management of stray populations (Marston & Bennett, 2009; 47 Stavisky et al., 2012) https://peerj.com/preprints/731v1.pdf” According to this study 47.3% of dogs and 76.1% of cats were neutered in Ireland, with females of both species being more likely to be sterilised than males. http://www.petproductmarketing.co.uk/content.php?sid=6
Ireland’s current animal welfare record
Fur farms – Ireland has 70% of all fur farms in Europe. Fur farming was banned in the UK in 2000 http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/irish-celebrities-call-for-ban-on-fur-farming-275137.html
Animal experimentation - 800% increase in animal experimentation in Ireland
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/health/280000-animals-used-for-testing-in-2010-184465.html
Puppy farms – Ireland is known as the puppy farm capital of Europe producing 90,000 pups yearly.
Live exports – Up to October of last year we had sent 203,000 animals out of Ireland as live exports.
Hare coursing is legal – Hare coursing is illegal in the UK
Fox Hunting and Baiting are legal – Fox hunting and fox baiting are illegal in the UK
Cats – Kilkenny does not have a cat rescue. Cats are not fully protected in Ireland. 300,000 kittens are born in Ireland each year of which 180,000 kittens will die of starvation and neglect.
http://www.animaladvocacy.ie/irish-animals/kitten-mortality/
Cruelty to domestic and wild animals – There is a high level of animal cruelty in Ireland
Horse impounding – 91% of horses impounded in Kilkenny in 2014 were destroyed.
Dog impounding – 23% of dogs impounded were destroyed in Kikenny in 2014.
Wildlife crime - There are frequent cases of wildlife crime in Ireland
Bee Population- As in other countries Ireland’s bee population has drastically declined.
ISPCA Inspectorate - The ISPCA has 6 inspectors but Kilkenny does not have an inspector http://www.ispca.ie/ispca_inspectorate/
Scotland Animal Welfare Record
Scotland is a similar nation to Ireland. It has a population of 5.2 million (Ireland is 4.5 million). 70 dogs in total were put to sleep in Scotland in dog pounds in 2014. 88 dogs alone were put to sleep in Kilkenny County in 2014. Scotland does not have horse impounding as there is not a requirement for them due their culture of caring for horses. The following practices are banned in Scotland, fox hunting and fox baiting, hare coursing and fur farming.
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/whats-happening/news/stray-dogs-survey This is a link to a report on animal welfare in Scotland regarding, legislation, enforcement and delivery.
http://www.onekind.org/uploads/publications/animal-welfare-report-2013.pdf
Proposal
- Kilkenny leads the way for being the model county for animal welfare in Ireland. An animal welfare policy is devised for the county. Kilkenny also develops a plan for animal welfare for the county.
- Council neutering scheme is introduced for cats and dogs to reduce their population and reduce homeless animals and their suffering.
- Cats are not fully protected in Ireland under animal welfare law. Cats need to be given full animal welfare protection. A cat rescue is set up in Kilkenny (currently Kilkenny do not have a cat rescue). This would enhance how Kilkenny is viewed especially due to it’s long association with cats.
- Suitable premises is located for the Kilkenny SPCA to houses animals in need. Currently the Kilkenny SPCA cannot take animals into their care as they do not have the premises to do so.
- Early intervention in suspected animal cruelty cases to prevent suffering of animals. Currently cases need to reach an advanced level before action is taken despite the 5 freedoms which form part of animal welfare law. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst , Freedom from Discomfort, Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease , Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour and Freedom from Fear and Distress.
- A new model for stray dogs and horses is put in place whereby tenders for pounds are written so that pounds are run by animal welfare groups only, with the view of improving animal welfare long term in county Kilkenny. This will be done through education and neutering, vaccinating and microchipping dogs and to provide a new solution to tackle stray horses which does not result in a catch and kill policy.
- Kilkenny advances the cause to end puppy farming, fox hunting and baiting, hare coursing, fur farming, live exports, animal experimentation and wildlife crime.
- Introduce measures to protect the bee population and to protect the flora and fauna of Kilkenny.
- Kilkenny has an ISPCA inspector to address cruelty.
Culture
Culture plays a large factor in how animals are regarded but with the growing concern for animal welfare in the public and in consumers, it is clear that people in Ireland feel that it is of importance. Historically, legislation, policies and planning have been factors in positively changing culture. The Local Economic and Community Plan is an opportunity to put Kilkenny on the map for being a model county for animal welfare.
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