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11th January 2018
01:29pm GMT
A Cork councillor has said that dog fouling has become an "epidemic in every town, city and urban district" in the country.
It was revealed yesterday by the Irish Examiner that, in the last 20 years, only four dog fouling fines have been issued in Cork.
Each of the four fines were issued during a dog fouling awareness campaign last year, which was run by Cork City Council.
Over €32,000 has been invested into the Dog Fouling Committee, according to the Independent, but councillor Ken O'Flynn believes the money could be used more wisely in order to combat the problem of dog fouling.
He said that the money could be used to employ "extra staff on the streets".
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast Cllr O'Flynn said: "We don't have a proper, well-organised dog ownership database in the country."
He said that it's difficult for dog inspectors to get proof of people who are responsible for not cleaning up after their dog.
"You'll have people saying 'that's not my dog, I don't own this dog' and how can you prove otherwise?"
Cllr O'Flynn suggested a method of controlling the issue, which would require every dog to wear a green tag that matches up to details of the dog kept on a country-wide database.
He said that if a dog is spotted without the green tag, the pet's owner would receive a fine.
He added that the attitude towards dog fouling in Ireland is too relaxed compared to other countries in Europe.
READ MORE: BREAKING: Status Orange Fog Warning Issued For Ireland This Evening
