National charity calls for strengthened laws for animal welfare in Mayo

The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has called on the government to urgently strengthen Ireland’s animal welfare laws – including for animal welfare in Mayo – warning that gaps in current protections are falling short.

As part of its official launch this week, the NSPCA published its first-ever strategy and set out four key legislative priorities: The reform of dog breeding legislation to address large-scale commercial breeding, strengthen welfare standards and improve inspection and enforcement mechanisms; a legal ban on (A) sulky horses on all public roads and (B) horse-drawn carriages in cities, promoting higher standards of care while safeguarding both animal welfare and public safety; the legal ban of the hunting and killing of foxes with dogs for sport; the legal ban of greyhound racing.

The NSPCA is the newly formed organisation ─ established last year through the merger of the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISCPA) and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). The organisation is focused on strengthening protections for animals, increasing awareness, and building a more coordinated national approach to animal welfare in Mayo and across Ireland. Their website can be viewed here.

To mark its official launch, the NSPCA released new survey findings by Bounce Insights that show a clear majority of the public support’s animal welfare reform in Mayo.

According to public polling, just under 90 per-cent of people support stricter dog breeding regulations in Ireland; 67 per-cent of people in Ireland support the phasing out of horse-drawn carriages in Irish towns and cities over time; and 86 per-cent think that horse-drawn vehicles should be more strictly regulated.

The polling also found that 82 per-cent of people support a ban on fox hunting for sport, while 68 per-cent feel that the decision by the Dáil in December 2025 not to support a Bill to ban fox hunting in Ireland was wrong. Also, 67 per-cent of people believe that greyhound racing should be phased out in Ireland, with 70 per-cent saying they are concerned about the welfare of greyhounds in the racing industry.

Launching the strategy, the CEO of the NSPCA Pat Watt said: “The launch of our inaugural five-year strategy marks a step up in our ambition to protect the welfare of animals in Mayo and across Ireland. Our inspectors continue to deal with deeply distressing cases of cruelty and neglect every day, reflecting a reality that demands urgent action. Public concern is growing, particularly in light of recent reports of disturbing cases involving horse-drawn vehicles, large-scale commercial dog breeding, greyhounds and other animals, and this is reflected in our survey findings. We are calling today for reforms to legislation to ensure that animals are properly protected in Mayo, and that the resources are available to improve enforcement.

“Every day, the NSPCA responds to cases of cruelty, rescues animals in need, and works with communities to prevent harm before it happens. But the scale and complexity of the challenge means that this work must go further. Lasting progress requires a coordinated and focused national approach.

“Our ambition is to see a Mayo where animals are protected from cruelty, where strong laws and enforcement safeguard their welfare, and where people understand and value the responsibility of caring for animals – and this is what we have set out to achieve with our strategy.”

Further results from the polling found that 79 per-cent of people in Ireland would like to see more government resources invested in animal welfare enforcement, while 68 per-cent believe that animal cruelty is a serious problem in Ireland.

A total of 94 per-cent think that those found guilty of animal cruelty should face stricter consequences, with 96 per-cent believing they should be banned from owning animals.

Public awareness was evenly split, with 45 per-cent aware and 45 per-cent unaware that large-scale commercial dog breeding is legal in Ireland.

The NSPCA’s 2026-2030 Strategy can be read in full here.