Some 3.5 million pigs are slaughtered in Ireland every year. We do not see them much because they are largely confined indoors, in big metal sheds. However, thanks to undercover investigations by the National Animal Rights Association and Animal Rebellion, we know what is going on inside these sheds, and real horrors are happening to these pigs. Six farms have been randomly selected and have had undercover investigations in them, and you really do not want to watch the videos of the kind of conditions these pigs endure: crammed together, tiny amounts of space, no natural light, not good ventilation, concrete floors, mother pigs literally unable to move because they are trapped in farrowing crates for long periods, tails docked in very unhygienic ways, castration, lying with abscesses on the floor and piglets dying and just left dead. This is not just one or two rotten apples, very clearly.

Do you have a question, Deputy?

Does the Minister think this kind of treatment of pigs is acceptable, and will the Government bring in legislation to stop it?

I do not think anybody thinks mistreatment of any animal, whether an animal in the food chain or an animal in our home or a pet, is acceptable. We need to make sure that where there are clear laws and procedures that should be in place, they are adhered to.

As the daughter of a farmer, I would say the vast majority of farmers comply with these regulations and treat their animals better than they might treat anybody else. I appreciate there are exemptions to the rules here, but obviously where somebody does not comply with very strict regulations they need to be held accountable.