A fake news story claiming that the Irish government allocated another €150 million for Ukrainian pet welfare is currently circulating on social media. The fake screenshot uses the logo and color scheme of Irish broadcaster RTÉ News, but there is no evidence to support the story. RTÉ News has confirmed that the story is fake and that the headline and image are not from their website. While Ireland did allocate funds for pets arriving with Ukrainian refugees at the start of the conflict, these funds are no longer available. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine in Ireland has spent over €815,000 in relation to pets from Ukraine since 2022.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Ireland has received over 106,000 Ukrainian refugees. The funds allocated by the Irish government were used for controlling the risk associated with pets from Ukraine and helping refugees get their pets compliant with animal health requirements. However, these funds are no longer available, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has stated that the government did not approve another €150 million for pet welfare in April. The department also mentioned that it stopped paying for pet-friendly accommodation in November 2022 and has phased out paying those costs for those already in Ireland.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin of Ireland has defended the money spent on transporting and accommodating pets from Ukraine as a humanitarian and compassionate response. He described it as a reflection of the best of what the Irish people are. Despite this, the fake news story claiming the approval of another €150 million for pet welfare by the Irish government remains unsubstantiated. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth stated that they have no knowledge of where the claim originated and confirmed that the government has not recently approved €150 million to cover Ukraine accommodation or related costs. The department revealed that it spent approximately €500 million in 2022 on commercial accommodation for Ukrainian refugees, which increased to €1.5 billion in 2023.
In response to the circulating fake news story, RTÉ News has clarified that the headline and image shown in the screenshot are not legitimate and that the story is entirely fake. The fake post claiming an additional €150 million allocation for Ukrainian pet welfare is misleading and has no basis in reality. Despite the influx of Ukrainian refugees into Ireland, the funds that were previously allocated for pet welfare are no longer available, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine has ceased these expenditures. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has also denied the recent approval of €150 million for pet welfare by the Irish government and stated that it has phased out paying for pet-friendly accommodation costs for Ukrainian refugees.
Ultimately, the circulating fake news story concerning an alleged €150 million allocation by the Irish government for Ukrainian pet welfare is baseless. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has denied the claim and confirmed that no such approval has been given by the government. While Ireland did allocate funds for pets arriving with Ukrainian refugees at the start of the conflict, these funds are no longer available, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine has ceased these expenditures. The story circulating on social media is a fabrication that has been debunked by fact-checking and by RTÉ News, the Irish broadcaster whose logo was illegitimately used in the fake screenshot.
