Charity welcomes increased Irish government funding

The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland today welcomed the announcement of animal welfare grant funding of €379,500 from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, an increase of 40% on its allocation in 2021.

The funding comes at a time of significant pressure for The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland, as one of many animal welfare charities working flat-out to deal with the consequences of irresponsible breeding, abandonment, and neglect during a cost of living crisis.

Country Manager, Laura Foster, commented: “We are very grateful to the Department for their ongoing financial assistance via the animal welfare grant. The money will go directly towards the increasing costs of housing over 1,700 donkeys and mules, and the thousands of animals we work within the community every year.

“Funding to tackle the sharp end of poor donkey welfare is needed now more than ever - welfare problems are deepening and our charity’s running costs are at an all-time high. However, so much of the suffering we see in Ireland is preventable. In the longer term, we must prioritise education, awareness, and enforcement of the law, to reduce the need for crisis services.

“Our vision is a world where donkeys and mules live good lives; we look forward to working with the Department and other authorised agencies towards that goal.”