The Animal Welfare Act 2020 requires that the conditions governing the use of animals be laid out clearly for all to see and so the designation from Ireland is intended to do just that. It also requires that the procedures used by animal health services on the island, and in particular the practices used by animal welfare organisations, are in line with the standards set out by the EU and the welfare legislation.
The European Union’s Animal Health Service (EHA) has been responsible for the development of these standards, which were adopted for Ireland. They have also been the primary source of enforcement of these standards in relation to the care and feeding of animals on the island.
The AMO designation from Ireland provides some guidelines and advice about the specific requirements associated with this standard and the EHA. This guidance has been designed to help animal owners better understand the procedures and conditions under which the provision of animal welfare services is required.
The AMO designation from Ireland does not mean that animal welfare services must be used on an everyday basis. It simply means that those involved in the provision of animal welfare services should be registered under these standards. There are a number of exemptions from this requirement, which are outlined in the AMO document itself.
For instance, in some circumstances an exemption could be granted if a specified percentage of animals being cared for were in need of specialised care. This would include those which require specific medical treatment, those requiring special diets or nutritional needs, those who require special diets because they have had an accident or suffer from chronic illness such as cancer or diabetes, and others.
The AMO designation from Ireland also outlines what animals should be kept away from certain types of other animals. Animals such as dogs, cats, horses, ferrets, rabbits and birds can be kept apart from cats, ferrets, horses and birds, which are considered potentially dangerous to them.
The AMO designation from Ireland does not cover the management of animals. This includes the handling, boarding and sheltering of animals in a private or public institution and so animal welfare organisations need to be trained accordingly.
The AMO designation from Ireland also provides guidelines about the type of animal welfare service that should be provided to animals. The most common form of animal welfare service is pet care. This includes animal welfare services such as taking a dog to a vet, caring for a horse, providing assistance for a ferret or rabbit, feeding a cat or taking a horse to the paddock.
Pet care is generally carried out by the person responsible for taking care of the animals in the case of dogs, horses, cats, rabbits or ferrets. The person can either undertake the pet care themselves or work with another professional to provide pet care services for a fee.
When an animal is unable to provide animal welfare services, they will normally be put up for adoption or reclaimed by an organisation which offers animal welfare services. These organisations will then look for another home for the animal and work with the owner to establish the appropriate care arrangements.
The AMO designation from Ireland does not apply to all animal welfare organisations offering animal welfare services and it is the responsibility of the organisation offering the service to clarify exactly what services are covered by the AMO designation. This guidance is intended to provide basic guidance and information so that any organisation can better understand the specific requirements.