DNA testing to stop dog fouling explored as Wicklow officials seek end to blight – ‘I think it would end the problem overnight’
The Wicklow PeopleThe possibility of using dog DNA testing as a means of increasing enforcement on dog fouling offenders has been discussed by officials at Wicklow County Council, with talk of how DNA could be collected and the need for testing to take place in the US turning the authority against the idea.
Just two fines were issued for dog fouling across all of County Wicklow between 2023 and 2024.
Only 48 fines were issued by local authorities across the country for dog fouling last year.
According to figures released by Vision Ireland, there were 14 local council areas in 2024 where no dog fouling fines were issued at all.
The charity said dog fouling is a public safety issue which can pose risks for children and adults, with blind and vision impaired people particularly at risk of dog fouling. It has urged dog owners to act responsibly and consider other users of shared footpaths.
The 48 fines issued for dog fouling in Ireland last year marked an increase of two on the 46 issued in 2023. However, both are significantly lower than the 82 fines issued in 2022.
According to the data, Cork County Council issued the highest number of fines for dog waste last year with 11, followed by Cavan County Council and Fingal County Council, which both issued six fines each.
To issue a fine in Wicklow, the dog fouling incident must be witnessed by one of these officers or, if witnessed by a third party, that person must be willing to provide a witness statement for court proceedings.
At a recent meeting of the local authority, assistant environmental awareness officer Jim Callery outlined how a pilot scheme that Leitrim County Council undertook received feedback that has been “less than positive” as they found it very difficult to get samples of DNA from dogs.
The local authority had started collecting samples of fouling from across the county in 2022 and had begun cross-referencing it with DNA samples of dogs already in the county shelter.
During his presentation Mr Callery indicated the only way officials in Louth could obtain DNA during their pilot was through the dog shelters.
“Any dog that was being released from the dog shelters, they took a sample there. And then any instance of dog fouling they collected samples which they had to send to the US for analysis, and it proved to be a very expensive project which resulted in zero prosecutions.
“We will continue to keep this open and if there are any opportunities to find a system that would work to collect samples of DNA from dogs in the county and then have them tested without going to major expense then, we would love to have dog DNA testing as part of our enforcement process.”
“Currently it doesn't look like a viable option,” he added.
At the moment Wicklow County Council gets only one or two successful prosecutions for dog fouling per year.
Mr Callery said he’d like to see more prosecutions taking place in Wicklow.
“The burden of evidence required to prosecute for dog fouling, you either need the enforcement officer to be standing there beside the dog when it is fouling and being able to chase up the owner, where they live, name and address, get the correct details and then you can take a prosecution, or you need a wit ness who is prepared to sign a witness statement and if necessary go to court. So, it is a very difficult to prosecute.”
In response Social Democrats councillor Danny Alvey is among those who has expressed his curiosity around the initiative.
“It is something that has been successfully done in other regions and countries. I don't think we're quite there yet in Ireland, but I think it is one of those things we need to keep our eye on and if it becomes more cost-effective, I think it would end the problem overnight if people thought they are leaving behind evidence that they will be charged on.”
Adding her voice to the conversation, independent councillor Orla Finn called for more bins to be installed around the Greystones District.
“This leads to the issue around more dog wardens, which is a countywide problem. If you are going to try bringing in other measures to make sure that people do adhere to the rules, I think more dog wardens are absolutely needed.
“In relation to the DNA testing, while I appreciate the sentiment behind it, I suppose I would personally rather see the money used for dog poo bins, because the DNA testing would be very hard to implement.”
Meanwhile her district colleague Green Party councillor Lourda Scott believes dog fouling continues to be an issue in the county.
“Particularly in our area, along the coast in Greystones, we find dog waste bagged, where people don't bin it. I don't think putting bins here, there and everywhere is going to help address this. It's laziness on behalf of some people, and more bins isn't going to address it full stop. We do have a challenge in our own district as well of limited resources and capabilities to clean out bins, and the more bins we have then it's a difficult situation.
“I don't think throwing bins everywhere, here, there and everywhere is going to help address this.
“My own opinion is I don't think this DNA testing is going to work until there's national legislation which compels dog owners to provide a faecal sample from their dogs, and that would probably need to be linked with micro-chipping.
“There's no point unless you have a database to match the samples to,” she added.
Mr Callery said the provision of bins and their rollout is a matter that is discussed with the relevant district staff.
“It is not possible to put bins in all the locations that dog walkers want. We've frequently got requests to put them in areas like the Murrough, which is a popular walk, meanwhile there's three bins available at the car park at the start of the walk.
“People need to understand when they take their dog out it is their responsibility to know where the bins are available and to use them, and that sometimes does mean carrying that bag back to the nearest location rather than expecting to have dog bins in natural areas.
“We've always promoted the message of 'any bag, any bin' so that members of the public when they're walking a dog can use any bin they come across for disposing of dog fouling.
“As I mentioned with the DNA, it is disappointing that there isn't a viable option at the moment, but it is something that we will keep an eye on in the future and if we do see any potential to bring in DNA testing with a viable, more local service, and an opportunity to collect the samples we would love to have it.
“I think even the threat of having DNA sampling would be an important incentive to householders to pick up after their dog.”
“For the time being we will continue to work on ensuring that there is an adequate network of bins available for people when they're out and about,” he added.