THE DEPARTMENT OF Agriculture is to review the situation around the Puck Fair goat after receiving contacts to its Animal Welfare Helpline.

The review will be made before next year’s fair takes place in Killorglin, Co Kerry.

The Department received 175 contacts to its Animal Welfare Helpline up to Friday evening last week, spurring on the review. 

The review comes after concern was raised about the goat being put onto a tall platform at the Puck Fair during this year’s annual event. Due to the hot temperatures during last week’s heatwave, the goat was brought down from the platform twice last week, before being reinstated. 

Tradition dictates that the goat, named King Puck, is put on the 50 foot tall platform for 48 hours before being taken down and set free or ‘de-throned’ at 6pm on 12 August, the festival’s final day.

The platform The Journal The Journal

Animal rights activists raised concerns about how the goat would cope with the high temperatures last week. Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) founder John Carmody said that a new tradition should be adopted that doesn’t include a wild animal.

However, local Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae said that the festival organisers had been acting appropriately, and that the tradition should continue.

The goat was monitored by an official vet who was advising the organisers on the animal’s welfare.

In a statement this evening, the department said:

The Department will be taking into consideration the contacts it has received in recent days in relation to the goat at the Puck Fair and reviewing the matter in advance of next year’s fair.