Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
488. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when surgical artificial insemination of canines, including greyhounds, will be banned in Ireland, given the results of his Department's public consultation which found that 99% of those who responded want the grotesque procedure outlawed (details supplied). [3177/26]
View answerThe Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) announced in April 2024 that it had updated its Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Practitioners to prohibit veterinarians from carrying out surgical artificial insemination in dogs due to ethical and welfare considerations. However, this new prohibition does not apply to greyhounds, as the practice is provided for in legislation under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhound Regulations 2005.
The report of the Working Group on Control of Dogs, which was approved by Government in March 2023, and has been published online at www.gov.ie/en/publication/0d6d7-working-group-on-control-of-dogs/#report-of-the-working-group-on-the-control-of-dogs, includes a recommendation that surgical artificial insemination in canines be prohibited, where the word canine encompasses all breeds of dogs.
In 2024, my Department held a public consultation on whether the practice of carrying out surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds should be banned or not and the results of the public consultation are now available on www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/publications/animal-welfare/#surgical-artificial-insemination-in-greyhounds.
My Department is closely examining this issue and will be providing advice on an appropriate course of action in the near future.
