Ms Una Jansen:

As Ms Matthews mentioned, there are not many countries where greyhound racing still takes place and therefore we do not have a system which we could use as a template. However, there is a system in this country for monitoring every single head of livestock. It has been in operation for a significant period of time. Micro-chipping has been compulsory since last year and every registered greyhound in this country has a tattoo. Therefore, we have the data and we have the software which can be used to put a proper traceability system into operation. We cannot accurately monitor how we are doing until we have that system in operation. We cannot measure welfare in this country until we can accurately state how many racing greyhounds we have, where they are, and what is happening to them. As there is not a good system in place elsewhere, there is an opportunity for Ireland to be a world leader in this regard.