Kilkenny Council seizes 184 stray horses in just four years

Animal authorities in Kilkenny have seized 184 horses across the city and council over the past four years.

Thousands of stray or abandoned horses have been seized by councils in Ireland since 2015, according to the latest official figures.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed told the Dáil the number being seized by county and city authorities is dropping.

But the figures reveal big variations in the numbers seized from county to county.

In Kilkenny, 15 horses had been seized by the end of September, compared to 21 for the whole of last year.

The figures for since 2017 are significantly down on the numbers seized in 2015 and 2016, when 75 and 52 horses respectively, were seized by the authorities.

Mr Creed said the Control of Horses Act 1996, provides the necessary powers to local authorities to deal with stray and abandoned horses.

He said the Act contains provisions for the licencing and identification of horses and was introduced to address the issues caused by stray and wandering horses due to public safety concerns.

“The number of horses being seized nationally continues to decline,” he said.

“This reduction is reflective of a number of factors including initiatives being progressed by my Department in the animal welfare area as well as active enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and the EU Equine Identification Regulations.”