Fears for unwanted horses as landfill ‘dumping ground’ closes

Dunsink Landfill, where horses were dumped by owners who could no longer afford to care for them, became a symbol of the Celtic Tiger’s collapse.

More than a decade later, authorities have announced that horses without an owner will be removed from the property.

A notice placed on the landfill gates says a “round-up” and health inspection will take place on Friday due to equine welfare concerns on the east Dublin land.

"Horses with serious welfare issues and no owner will be removed,” it said. “Due to indiscriminate breeding and causing a nuisance, stallions are no longer permitted on Dunsink Landfill and will also be removed.”

The Castleknock site has for years been used as a dumping ground for unwanted horses.

Now, Irish animal welfare campaigners are worried about what will happen to unwanted horses after the Dunsink Landfill site closes.