Cara Hunter calls for tougher sentences for animal cruelty referring to dogs being buried in Co. Derry

Transcript

00:00 In the past three years, within the Cosway Coast and Glens area, we have seen over 1,000

00:04 incidents of animal cruelty, and I would like to raise that here today. Across Northern

00:10 Ireland, animal welfare is not regarded as a priority, and I would argue that the current

00:14 process to report it is not only not fit for purpose but absolutely appalling. There is

00:19 a significant lack of investment to protect our animals here, and the current process

00:23 has not and does not work. Over the past few months, we have seen dogs drowned in Turin,

00:29 dogs buried in County Derry, and we clearly have a profound issue with the treatment of

00:34 animals here. Not only that, there is a lack of prosecutions for evil perpetrators who

00:39 maliciously carry out these horrific acts towards innocent animals. I recently had meetings

00:46 with two animal charities in my constituency—one is the Cosway Coast Dog Rescue and the other,

00:51 Dog Leap in Limavady, led by incredible ladies who work so passionately on this issue. They

00:56 have gone above and beyond protecting animals, where local councils have undeniably failed.

01:02 There is an unbelievably obvious issue here. When you come across an abused animal, whether

01:06 it is after 5 o'clock or on the weekends, there is absolutely nobody available, no number

01:11 to call, and I think that is an issue that needs urgently addressed. This is not a failing

01:15 system but a failed system, and we must act. There is also a huge lack of clarity around

01:20 how much power and training there is with the local council and with the PSNI and their

01:25 handling of animals. I believe that in the north we urgently require an animal welfare

01:29 strategy. Otherwise, how will we know which direction meets the needs of our communities

01:34 and what services we require?