The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has confirmed that four private operators are currently sanctioned to run dog microchip databases in Ireland.
It follows a parliamentary question tabled by Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin who asked if the minister would create a centralised database for dog microchips.
Farm organisations have made repeated calls on the government to implement such a system following devastating dog attacks on livestock across the country.
Such a database would enable dog wardens to identify the dogs involved in such incidents and also encourage more responsible dog ownership.
Dog microchip
Minister McConalogue said that it is illegal to sell or supply a dog that is not microchipped, while the number of the microchip must also be registered.
“The question of a centralised database for dog microchips remains under consideration by my department.
“A recently announced proposed regulation at EU level to improve the traceability of dogs and cats includes a proposal for each member state to establish a national microchip database for dogs and cats inter-operable with similar databases in other member states.
“These proposals are currently being assessed and considered,” he said.
Databases
Under the current system, Minister McConalogue said that “there are four microchip databases in Ireland, run by private operators”.
These companies are authorised the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to register owner details for dog microchips.
“The database operators must provide details of microchips they hold to Europetnet, an umbrella group of associations across Europe which register owner information in relation to uniquely identified dogs.
“When a chip number registered to one of the four authorised databases in Ireland is entered into the publicly accessible search tool, Europetnet will state which affiliated database the chip is registered to.
“This enables follow-up with the relevant database,” the minister said.