Cobh fears Brexit may scupper free supply of dog poo bags

Councillors in the east Cork town have been told the British/EU negotiations could have an impact on their ability to obtain biodegradable dog poo bags into the future

The municipal district council in Cobh supplies biodegradable dog poo bags free of charge, which are manufactured by a British company. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Billion euro trade deals and issues over fishery rights have dominated Brexit negotiations, but the fallout from the high-powered talks may leave a municipal district council in Co Cork with a messy problem — it could lead to it having no dog poo bags.

While Boris Johnson, Micheál Martin, Simon Coveney, et al, worry about the broader picture, councillors in Cobh have been informed that the British/EU negotiations could have an impact on their ability to obtain biodegradable dog poo bags into the future, as the bags are manufactured by a British company.

It might seem minuscule in the scale of things, but it has caused a bit of a stir among members of the Cobh Municipal District Council

The council has been at the forefront in fighting the scourge of dog fouling, especially in and around the town of Cobh, which is heavily reliant on tourism.

It has put up a number of special poo bag dispensers in the town and in other parts of the municipal district, as well as special bins which dog owners can use to dispose of them.

The council supplies them free of charge and, since the advent of Covid-19 restrictions, has seen increased demand for the bags as more pet owners go on long walks with man's best friend.

The Brexit issue emerged unexpectedly during a debate about whether the council was using bio-disposable bags.

Green Party councillor Alan O’Connor had put down a motion on this. However, he quickly withdrew it saying he'd subsequently learnt the ones being used were indeed biodegradable.

Everything seemed fine and he drew a smile, as did other councillors who pride themselves on the way they are dealing with dog fouling.

This also included an education project in local schools and an art competition for pupils — the winners getting their work mounted on signs in the town to warn dog-walkers about the dangers of not clearing up after their pets.

Paraic Lynch, the council municipal officer, pointed out that they purchased the poo bags from an English-based company, and considering the perilous nature of Brexit talks, he didn't know how that arrangement was going to pan out in the future.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said it didn't matter where they purchased them from. He was angry there were some dog-walkers who brought poo bags with them, bagged up the dog excrement, but then threw the bags over hedges rather than disposing of them properly, either in the council bins or by binning them at home.

Mr Barry described how he'd seen trees in a cemetery in the municipal district area “decorated” with pooh bags, which he thought was totally abhorrent.