Footage from an RTÉ Investigates programme into live exports on Tuesday has been condemned by farm organisations, politicians and animal welfare organisations.
Speaking on Wednesday, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that he condemns any cruelty or mistreatment of animals and has sought the footage from RTÉ.
“I think socially, what the public wants to see and expects is proper care and proper animal welfare.
“Live transport is appropriate and should continue to be a strong part of our trading network; albeit small in the overall context, but it’s important in terms of the competition as well.
“The key thing is that the welfare and care of animals is of appropriate standards. Certainly, some of the instances we’ve seen in some of the footage is very concerning indeed,” he said.
On enforcement of standards across the EU, called into question by the programme, the minister said each EU member state has a responsibility and “needs to take that seriously”.
“Our responsibility and enforcement is within our own country, but we operate within an EU market and EU rules apply everywhere,” he said. Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan, who was interviewed on the programme, strongly criticised the actions shown in the footage.
The IFA declined to take part in the programme, but its president Francie Gorman offered to do a live interview after the programme aired.
He said there must be a zero-tolerance approach to anyone not adhering to high animal welfare standards.
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