Councillors call for more animal welfare funding

CALLS have been made to increase the level of resources given to the animal welfare team across Tyrone and Derry.

The animal welfare team at Fermanagh and Omagh District Council are also charged with providing the service for Mid Ulster and Derry City & Strabane councils, in an area designated as the ‘western region’, with funding provided by the Department for Agriculture.

Councillors in Derry City and Strabane have raised concerns that reports of abuse and neglect are going uninvestigated or not being seen to quickly enough due to staffing and resource pressures.

In a presentation to a council committee, Lisa Patton of the Derry-based Pet FBI Rescue, said, “Although animal welfare do a fantastic job and their officers work incredibly hard, we believe that due to the increase in pets they are under pressure dealing with the amount of calls.”

Ms Patton raised examples of neglect to the councillors’ attention, including the case of Bob, a shih tzu type dog, who was left at home alone covered in his own excrement with badly-matted fur.

A member of the public attempted to reach the animal welfare service’s out-of-hours line, but there was no answer for ‘several hours’.

After PET FBI were alerted, the police were called to rescue the dog, and he lived a further five years in the charity’s care.

Ms Patton added that there should be at least one animal welfare officer per council to ensure the service is delivered effectively. A report provided to the health and community committee showed that 1,298 animal welfare calls were received in the western region between April 2020 and December 2021.

The animal welfare team issued 16 ‘improvement notices’ in that time, and 10 animals were seized.

The report also details a number of successful prosecutions made ny the animal welfare team in court, including one instance where a person in Castlederg received a fine and was banned from owning animals for two years. The nature of the offence was not revealed.

Derg councillor, Derek Hussey told the committee, “I think we’ve reached the stage where Derry and Strabane District Council deserves its own dedicated animal welfare service.”

Cllr Hussey backed a proposal to examine the agreement with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and to look at the feasibility of bringing the service in-house.

Omagh councillor, Barry McElduff, says he shares the concerns of his colleagues in Derry and Strabane.

He told the UlsterHerald, “Based on their express concerns, and the need for assurance and certainty around future budget provision, I will be raising this matter within Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Environmental Services Committee. Animal welfare is hugely important. We have an excellent team working in this vital area, but we need to be assured that they are going to receive the budget necessary to deliver the service that is required.”