John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

On the other hand, I have to take into account if a hunt club is a commercial activity.

I cannot make exceptions when it comes to animal welfare. I can make exceptions if I find too much of a financial burden or risk is placed on a person. Animal welfare includes all bodies in question from the DSPCA's pound to a hunt club. I have been assured by the hunt clubs and others that they have high standards of animal welfare. If they believe they are adequately covered under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 and the standards in place are fine, there should no problem.

Having said that, I will return to it on Report Stage, as I do listen to what Senators raise, to check if any anomalies exist, that we have covered our bases or that there needs to be cross-referencing. I do not believe so but as Senators have pointed out, due to the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, some exception from this provision might have to be made. That could be counterproductive from an animal welfare point of view, however.