ThePost.ie Greens seeks compromise on puppy bill 16 May 2010  By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent

The Green Party is to propose a concession on laws governing the greyhound industry that might appease rural TDs.

Amendments to the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 are to be suggested as an alternative to bringing this sector under the provisions of a controversial government bill to regulate puppy farming.

This weekend, Green Party chief whip Trevor Sargent struck a conciliatory note after a stormy meeting of an Oireachtas committee heard Fianna Fáil TDs stridently oppose the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill.

Sargent said he would suggest amendments to the 1958 act to Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who is in charge of the bill but was in the US on business last week.

The concession will go some way to meeting a demand by rural TDs to amend existing legislation, rather than have two pieces of legislation governing the greyhound industry. Sargent said such a change would not entail any watering down of the government’s plans to boost protection and inspections.

Those proposals aimed to address animal welfare abuses that had ‘‘shown Ireland in such a poor light’’.

‘‘I don’t think it’s going to be difficult, because the legislation that governs the 1958 act is in place," Sargent said.

‘ ‘Whether it involve s amending the act in conjunction with the new legislation on puppy farming, this could be all discussed.

‘‘The practicalities of how quickly that could be done would have to be taken into consideration. I don’t see any point in being prescriptive about it all being in one piece of legislation."

However, the concession may not be enough to quell an escalating row between the coalition parties.

The Lemass Group, an alternative forum set up by Fianna Fáil backbenchers to discuss policy outside the parliamentary party meeting, has invited the pressure group Rural Ireland Says Enough (Rise) to Leinster House on Wednesday to outline its objections to the bill.

Government chief whip John Curran is mediating in the row over a list of amendments put forward by TDs.

Fianna Fáil insiders believe that the bill’s progress through the Dáil for second stage debate is being delayed to avoid dissent. Some backbenchers have signalled that they would vote against the bill in the knowledge that only a finance bill would bring down the government.

© Thomas Crosbie Media 2010.