Only half of the 1,395 investigations for crimes against pets have been completed and only three ended in convictions and fines.
The new animal protection law came into force in October 2014 and last year investigations were opened for 1,395 alleged cases of mistreatment of ‘companion animals.’
Just over half of these have been concluded, some 772, according to statistics released by the Attorney General's Office, with only 6.9% of completed investigations resulting in criminal prosecution.
Of the 53 cases that went to court, three obtained a conviction and a fine, the highest of which was €400.
Eleven other cases are waiting for trial with the remaining 38 cases having been suspended or concluded by issuing a warning.
The law allows for fines of up to 120 days income and imprisonment for one year for those who inflict pain or any physical mistreatment on pets. These penalties can be doubled if the pet had died as a result of mistreatment or has lost a limb.
Not one of the convictions to date has resulted in the maximum penalty with fines calculated at between €5 and €5.5 per day, for between 30 and 80 days.
