Every year 6,000 grey hounds in Ireland die because the fail to make qualification times or for poor performance [rte investigates].Yes these friendly lanky giants die in large numbers every year.Greyhounds being doped or shot have been reported.These graceful loving creatures deserve better.

The greyhound racing industry received an increase in €2.4 million last year. This is an industry which has received €280 million in government funding since 2000. A shocking documentary has revealed that nearly 6,000 Irish greyhounds are killed each year just for not racing fast enough and endure horrific cruelty. Ireland is one of only eight countries in the world that still allows greyhound racing.

In 2018 the Irish government implemented a ban on trawlers greater than 18m to fish within 6 nautical miles of the Irish coast. The High Court has since overturned this ban with the current law now allowing boats of any size to fish anywhere with no regulations or quotas enforced. Not only is this detrimental to inshore ecosystems, smaller Irish fishing communities cannot compete with large unregulated trawlers coming inshore. Bantry Bay in West Cork is one particular area that is currently at the detriment of unsustainable fishing practices. Although Bantry Bay is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), drone footage of pair trawling was captured here in October 2020. This area is home to marine invertebrates, fishes, elasmobranchs, seabirds and marine mammals. While pair trawlers are fishing legally, with no regulations or quotas, they are fishing at an unsustainable rate and removing a critical food source (sprat and herring) for many larger marine species. Additionally, 80% of Irish fishing vessels are less than 12m and cannot compete with large trawlers. We need the Irish government to support small Irish fishing communities and protect our marine environment and its inhabitants. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Marine , Charlie McConalogue has recently lodged an appeal against the High Court’s decision to allow large trawlers to fish within 6 nautical miles of the Irish coast. We call on the High Court to reinstate this ban on trawlers greater than 18m to fish within 6 nautical miles of the Irish coast.

At a time when biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, instead of this ludicrous scheme and bowing to lobbyists for profit, there should be increased protection for all wildlife and promotion of veganism. Fish stocks have been depleted due to overfishing and not giving time for regeneration, which are the actions of humans, not seals.

In Ireland our individual ecological footprint is approximately 5.2 Global Hectares per Capita (ghc) but the Planet’s actual capacity is only 1.8 ghc: we are living as if there are almost three Planet Earths. This way of life is not only contributing to mass extinction, pandemics and extreme economic inequalities, it means that, in all likelihood, our country will be uninhabitable for our grandchildren. A One Planet Development scheme would give people the option of moving out of the city and into the countryside to pioneer a way of life that goes some way towards bringing the human-nature relationship back into balance. It would allow people to build small low-impact dwellings, to establish community and to work with the land in a regenerative way to bring systemic change to our food systems.

It is my opinion that by preventing the advertising of animals for sale on Donedeal.ie this will help to distrupt the sale of stolen animals which has now become a nationwide problem. These animals are fetching large sums of money and this is encouraging theft of peoples pets. There is a demand and there is a criminal element prepared to exploit that demand. The petition is also aimed at raising awareness of the fact that there are shelters full of animals across the island of Ireland and there is simply no need to pay such prices for a pet.

We all hear devastating news all over social media, news agencies and our friends. Dog fights, animal theft ,animal trafficking and illegal animal sale are the main reason of theft of our beloved four legged friends. We need to ensure that dog owners in Ireland don’t live in fear of their pets been stolen from their homes. To ensure safety of dogs, cats and their owners laws should be stricter in Ireland to prevent theft and end this nonsense of pet robberies that are going out of control. It’s time for the government to respond.

I have decided to start a petition for animal welfare in Ireland as it seems that the Irish government law enforcement, both judges and Gardai, do not take it seriously. It is unbelievable the amount of animal abuse that occurs on a daily basis. I subscribe to animal rescue pages on Facebook and regularly donate to them to support their cause. Unfortunately many of their stories are sad, of pregnant cats roaming, orphaned animals, stolen beloved pets, and worse yet the reckless behaviour of some individuals that often leads to the death of animals or intentional abuse of dogs, cats and horses alike. Recently I have read and seen pictures of a horse set alight, a horse accidentally killed by a truck driver when his owner decided to cross a dual carriageway, horses left starving or with injuries, such as a broken leg with the bone protruding through the skin likely causing immense suffering until the poor animal was mercifully euthanised due to the extent of the injury. Not to mention the amount of stolen dog posts I see on a daily basis, as well as stories of teenagers kicking around a cat (and a dog in another instance) for fun. I am thankful to all who have signed thus far, as well as those who are currently contemplating it. I appreciate that maybe my initial petition may have been a bit confusing as per some comments I had received. To clarify, Ireland does have welfare laws (Control of Dogs Act 1986, (Amended 1992); Animal Health & Welfare Act 2013 & 2019; Control of Horses Act 1996, to name a few of which I was politely made aware of). Are they being implemented and prosecuted to the best of their ability? I strongly believe that they are not. As I haven't had the time to read all the laws (with an infant at home), I will generalise what I know. It is mandatory to microchip dogs and horses (but this has a 'from date' which then excludes some animals from before this date), while currently cats do not have a legal requirement. What I am proposing is that all pets have a legal requirement, including checks done by Gardai. In addition, I propose for all pets to be checked at vets for microchipping and have it done mandatorily by a certain age of the animals life. I would suggest 500€ for cats and dogs, while 2000€ for horses and larger animals (i.e. donkeys, mules). If a person has enough money to feed a pet animal, they should also have enough to pay the small fee associated with microchipping. These are only suggestions, my point is that we need more impactful fines. In regards to spaying/neutering, it is a worldwide problem and yes, most people are advised to do it but a good few still decide against. That should be mandatory as well, but provisions, in the form of Government subsidies should be set aside to assist pet owners with the financial cost. Special circumstances could be considered for those who take care of feral animals in their area and as mentioned below, rescues should be able to TNR (trap and release) these animals after spaying/neutering is done. I know certain websites don’t ‘condone’ the sale of animals, but at the same time still allow their sites to be used as a marketplace for illegal pet trade. A lot of the dogs being sold run the risk of improper breeding as well as inhumane conditions. Also, some animals are used as bait for dog fights and there should be enormous fines for those involved in contributing to a preventable death of an animal. I have been made aware that Animal Rescues do get an annual grant, but with the current situation of feral/orphaned/abandoned/injured animals out there, there is no way that amount is enough and they currently need more funds provisioned. If we worked to address the issue of microchipping with owner liability and spaying/neutering it would control the pet population better, thus easing the burden on animal rescues. Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher. People found to be stealing or abusing animals should face heavier fines and/or jail sentences. We need the Gardai and other investigatory bodies to ensure people are charged, as well as judges to impart APPROPRIATE SENTENCING. It should not be allowed to just let the person off with a slap on the wrist. If people are unwilling to cooperate and pay the fines, they should face community service and/or jail time. Their animals should then be taken off them and they should be banned from acquiring further animals. A public photographic register of these individuals should be set up to allow the public be made aware of potential thieves/abusers should be considered. So to reiterate my proposals they are: 1. Mandatory microchipping of all animals considered as pets, including those used for sully racing. 2. Mandatory spaying/neutering unless a registered pet breeder with the government subsidising the cost for individuals/veterinary practices to make that attainable. 3. Additional funding for animal rescues should be provisioned. 4. Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher. 5. All people found not to be complying with the new regulations should be impactfully fined and/or face jail time/community service. 6. I would like to see more thorough Investigations conducted into breaches of Animal Welfare, more enforcement of the various legislation & harsher penalties & sentences for those convicted of offences. I am an animal lover, and I have seen many other people’s comments on online posts which also lead me to believe there are others out there like me who would like to see a real change in Ireland. This would require lawmakers and judges/Gardai to actually implement these changes versus ‘letting them off’ or ignoring the issue. Please sign and share this petition and ask for our lawmakers to finally make a difference!

Allegedly animals are being robbed from their homes to breed, use as bait and to sell. [1] https://extra.ie/2020/05/13/news/irish-news/100-dogs-seized-ireland [2] https://www.thejournal.ie/dspca-done-deal-puppies-online-trading-1467756-May2014/

During this pandemic, many of our green areas have been allowed to grow wild, with no council mowing ongoing. Which is great! Green areas have been allowed to flourish with flowers growing through them. Widespread population declines of bees and other pollinators from habitat loss are a growing concern. However, spontaneous flowers like dandelions and clover can provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season....... Therefore, please don't mow, don't spray, let them grow!

This tree is 270 years old and it was always there. It won't fall suddenly itself. Despite the risk assesed with its condition the alternative for allowing the tree to decay naturally could be reavulated and taken into consideration.(e.g. providing supporting construction to the tree). Trees are essential to our existence. They provide us with oxygen, reduce carbon and give life to the world's wildlife. Saving our trees will reduce greenhouse gases, protect our wildlife and bees, and make sure our environment and communities can be enjoyed by future generations.

We have 21 species of Bumblebee and 77 Solitary Bee species in Ireland and one-third of our bee species are at risk of extinction. One in three spoonfuls of our food is pollinated by bees; in a world without bees and other natural pollinators, we won't have enough food to feed the world.