Louth in 'big trouble' with dog poo as DNA database proposed
Independent councillor for Dundalk South Maeve Yore said Louth County Council could 'lead' on the issue
Calls have been made for Louth County Council to introduce a dog poo database to tackle fouling in the county.
Independent councillor for Dundalk South, Maeve Yore said a DNA database was first proposed by Labour councillor Pio Smith five years ago, and said Louth County Council could 'lead' other local authorities by commencing one.
She said dogs are already subject to "mandatory microchipping" and asked if swabs could be carried out to collect the relevant data.
David Hanratty, Director of Services with Louth County Council said a DNA database had been trialled by "one or two councils" but said he would have to review its findings to see how successful it was in addressing the problem.
Cllr Yore said she had been informed Louth County Council had issued 530 dog licences in January, and questioned if this was for the year or just the month.
When Mr Hanratty confirmed that it was the figure for the month, Cllr Yore said "we're in big trouble for dog poo".
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Figures from the Department of Agriculture show that Louth County Council issued 6,667 dog licenses in 2024.
The same report showed the Louth County Council received €141,573 in license fee income in 2024.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.