LATEST figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, reveal that the country’s major population centres are still among the worst offenders when it comes to horse and pony abandonment. Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick had the highest number of horses and ponies seized in 2016 – almost 600 between them – at a combined cost of over €300,000 to the taxpayer.

The four Dublin local authorities seized 325 horses and ponies between them alone, while Limerick County Council seized 122, Cork 77 and Galway City and County 56 animals.

By far the largest number in the capital were seized by South Dublin County Council which spent €70,000 seizing 148 animals – 139 of them were recorded as euthanised – underlining the size of the problem that still exists in the south side of the capital.

Dublin City Council – which mainly governs the inner city – spent over €55,000 seizing 91 animals and euthanised 79 of them.

Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council forked out just over €10,000 to take control of 16 animals, 14 of whom were euthanised.

Fingal County Council, which is responsible for much of the north city and North County Dublin, spent €45,000 taking control of 70 animals, some 68 of whom were euthanised.

100% KILL RATE

The DOA figures also painted a stark picture outside of the major urban areas with five county and city councils effectively adopting a “get tough’’ strategy of killing all of the abandoned horses and ponies they seized in 2016.

The figures show that those local authorities with a 100% kill rate of seized horse and ponies in 2016 were Carlow County Council (48/48); Cavan County Council (3/3); Galway City Council (19/19); Kerry County Council (15/15) and Kilkenny County Council (29/29).

However, by comparison, Donegal County Council seized 15 animals at a cost of €5,100, six of whom were recorded as euthanised. Monaghan County Council seized 24 in 2016 at a cost of €5,850 and just two were euthanised. Longford County Council spent €5,300 seizing 15 horses and ponies and just one was euthanised.

€1M FUNDING

DOA funding of almost €2.5m for 137 animal welfare groups nationwide with €75,000 going to Longford’s Hungry Horse Outside group where the official figures show just one seized animal was euthanised in 2016.

The bulk of the state funding -– over €1m – went to the major charities ISPCA, SPCA, DSPCA and Blue Cross, all of whom deal extensively with equine cases and rehome where possible.