17 December 2009
SARGENT ANNOUNCES €10,000 GRANT TO SEAL SANCTUARY
Mr. Trevor Sargent T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, today announced the award of an ex-gratia payment of €10,000 to the Irish Seal Sanctuary, Garristown, Co. Dublin to assist the organisation in its work over the coming year. This is part of an overall package of payments totalling €1,185,000 being made immediately to animal welfare organisations throughout the country to assist in their work in 2010.
Minister Sargent, acknowledging the contribution animal welfare bodies make said, “These welfare bodies play a vital role in animal welfare and require ongoing financial support from the general public to enable them fulfil their work in promoting animal welfare in Ireland”. The Minister thanked all the welfare organisations in both urban and rural areas particularly for their efforts and the work being done by them in circumstances that are not always straightforward, particularly when dealing with difficult animal welfare cases.
Minister Sargent said that the funding for animal welfare organisations in 2009 was evidence of the Government’s commitment in the area of animal welfare. He appealed to parents and others to think responsibly when considering giving a pet as a present and asked people “to heed the warnings and advice offered by animal welfare bodies in this regard and urged people to think carefully before giving a pet as a gift at Christmas or at any other time of the year.”
__________________
