Hunts win exemption on puppy kennel fees

HUNTS will be exempt from registration or inspection fees for their puppy kennels under last minute changes to the contentious Dog Breeding laws which were rushed through on the last day of Dáil term.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen agreed to a number of concessions to disgruntled backbenchers who saw the laws as a threat to rural pursuits because they aimed to regulate puppy farms for greyhounds and hunt hounds.

But rural campaign group, RISE, expressed disappointment that the Government did not agree to an outright exemption for kennels breeding dogs for hunting – something sought by some Fianna Fáil backbenchers.