Efforts to create animal welfare officer post in Mayo unsuccessful

EFFORTS to create an animal welfare officer position in Mayo have not borne fruit.

Members of the county council's environment committee were told that meetings had taken place with the ISPCA, who agreed to come back with a proposal.

However, they came back to say they weren't in a position to put forward any proposal and so it hadn't progressed.

The news came when committee members were asked to approve an allocation of €50,000 for animal welfare groups that operate a service in Mayo.

This is an additional €15,000 to what was budgeted for by Mayo County Council. That amount was ring-fenced to help employ an animal welfare officer, but with efforts to progress that initiative unsuccessful, it has gone back for distribution to the animal charities.

The allocations will be before this Monday's meeting of the full council for approval.

Ahead of that, at the strategic policy committee meeting this wee, members were told five applications for funding had been received.

Councillor Donna Sheridan proposed that the extra €15,000 goes to the NSPCA, explaining how this was calculated based on the numbers of animals they help.

The three Mayo-based charities animal intake, she explained, were: Ainmhithe 100, MSPCA 180, NWSPA 1,181.

The proposed breakdown of the allocations was: Ainmhithe €4,200, Mayo SPCA €8,000, North-West SPCA €29,550, MADRA €6,000, and Hungry Horse Outside €2,250.

We should be putting more into the charities in the county, said Councillor Sheridan, as they are doing tremendous work.

She was supported by committee member Cliona Boland who felt amounts should be commensurate with the work organisations are doing in the county.

However, Councillor Johnny O'Malley felt some of the additional €15,000 should be given to the others too, as they didn't want to be discouraging them.

The allocations will be discussed at Monday's meeting.

UPDATE: The grants were subsequently approved as proposed at the committee meeting.