Provisional figures for the number of animal welfare cases taken by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since the beginning of 2026 is 13. 

According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, around 1,000 staff in his department have been designated as authorised officers who carry out welfare inspections in every country.

Minister Heydon confirmed the number of animal welfare cases to date in 2026 in response to a parliamentary questions tabled by Fine Gael TD, Joe Neville.

Minister Heydon's department has lead policy responsibility within government for animal welfare.

He told Deputy Neville that DAFM operates a confidential animal welfare helpline where members of the public can contact to report incidents of animal cruelty or neglect for investigation.

"All reports received generate case reports which are referred for investigation by authorised officers and appropriate action is taken, which could include, up to, prosecution," he added.

Animal Welfare Strategy

Separately a new Animal Welfare Strategy is “approaching completion” according to the minister.

Minister Heydon also confirmed it is expected to be published “in the near term”.

The Social Democrats TD, Sinéad Gibney, had queried the minister on the timeline for the publication of the strategy.

A non-statutory public consultation on the new animal welfare strategy had run from last November to January 2 this year.

Minister Heydon told Deputy Gibney: “The term of Ireland’s first ever Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 - Working Together for Animal Welfare reached a conclusion at the end of 2025.

“In 2025, a process was initiated to develop a new animal welfare strategy, which will act as a framework for engagement and collaboration to direct future activities with the aim of benefiting both animals and Irish society.”

Animal welfare

Minister Heydon said that the strategy’s development is almost finished.

“Development of the strategy is now approaching completion following a broad stakeholder engagement.

“The new strategy will continue to adopt a One Health, One Welfare approach, acknowledging and valuing the inter-dependencies between human, animal and environmental health, and taking an evidence-led approach to policy making, target-setting, monitoring and evaluation.”

The minister said that he anticipates the new strategy to be published “in the near term”.

Minister Heydon had previously indicated in March that the strategy was due in the second quarter of the year.

Then, in June, he revised that delivery date to the second half of the year.