Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the new chairman of Bord na gCon and thank him for the presentation. I put on the record my appreciation of the work of the outgoing chairman, Phil Meaney, who steered the industry through a difficult period, and steered it very well.

I have a number of points I would like to make. Our greyhound industry is under pressure, and there is no point in denying that. Attendances are falling and dog numbers are falling. We need to get more imaginative to try to keep the industry in place and in business. I am a director of a privately owned greyhound track and I see at first hand how difficult it is for a track to break even and to stay in business.

In the previous presentation to the committee, we spoke about climate change. Dog welfare is the elephant in the room. The issue must be addressed satisfactorily if our industry is to prosper and survive. When many dog owners talk about welfare, they think it is about the sand on the track and racing surface, but welfare goes a lot further than that. It is also about the life of the greyhound after it finishes racing and the way it is going to be looked after. With regard to the courses, I am on the track side and there are many issues that need to be addressed. I appreciate the board has directed money towards dog welfare but more needs to be done. We have to get the public to realise that the dogs are being looked after extremely well and are well cared for. If our industry is to progress we have to win that battle. At the moment we are definitely not winning it. Dog welfare links into the whole issue of regulation and the enforcement of regulation. Unfortunately the industry has got a name for malpractices and that even when a malpractice is found, the board is unable to enforce penalties and fines. As we sit here, the new Greyhound Racing Bill 2018 is being discussed in Seanad Éireann. Hopefully, it will address these necessary issues. There can be no place in our industry for people who break rules or who use banned substances. It is absolutely essential we are seen as being an industry that does not tolerate any breaking of rules or regulations. It has to be enforced. Hopefully, this can be done with the new Bill. I cannot stress enough to Mr. Nyhan the importance of winning this battle with regard to the public. We have had too many headlines of dogs being found with substances in their systems, and no sanctions being enforced against the trainer. We have had this on very high profile nights in the industry and it has done us a serious amount of harm. We have to get beyond that. In his term as chairman, I would stress to Mr. Nyhan that regulations in place are enforced. It is absolutely paramount to restore public confidence that everything is above board in the industry.

With regard to the prize money that is available, we have to make prize money attractive. Prize money must be in place so when owners or syndicates have a greyhound that wins a race or two, they can break even with the training fees in a calendar year. We have to make it attractive. A percentage of that prize money has to be available for trainers also. The day of private trainers has definitely dwindled. In his opening statement the chairman said that the greyhound industry is associated with the farming community, which is correct, but with the time pressures facing farmers and with different changes in society, it is more and more the case that the availability of labour on farms is greatly reduced. The training of dogs has definitely become more of a professional operation. It is essential that this is made an economically viable profession. Giving trainers a share of increased prize money is the way to go. It is important for owners and syndicates to see they have an opportunity to at least break even if they have reasonable success on the track.

I now turn to attendances and attracting people back through the turnstiles. I would often take a walk to the Shelbourne Park track in the evening, especially during the summer months. Summer evenings at the tracks, even here in the capital, are poorly attended. We need to get people back in through the turnstiles. I know that Mr. Nyhan will be giving this issue paramount attention but we need more imagination around the bets that are available on the tote. A couple of years ago, the jackpot on a Saturday night in Shelbourne Park created great betting interest across the country on the tote. That has evaporated. We need something like that to attract punters in to invest in the Saturday night. A big pot in place would attract the punter and get the tote punter back in. The tote could be an attractive proposition for attendees at the tracks. At the moment people have not been betting on the tote at rural tracks and in Dublin. It is just not happening. The pools or bets have not been catching the public imagination and it is absolutely essential that they do so.

I am also worried about on-track bookmakers, about whom some say I have a bee in my bonnet. Their numbers have diminished significantly in the last couple of years. I would say they are down by up to 80% over a ten-year period. The proposition made in the budget that betting tax be increased from 1% to 2% is one I have raised at meetings of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party. I hope we might be able to secure an exemption in the Finance Bill for on-track bookmakers. It is a betting tax on turnover and I just do not think on-track bookmakers would be able to cover it. We could see their complete extinction, even though they bring an atmosphere to race tracks, whether it be horse racing or dog racing. They bring an atmosphere that is unique and it would be a huge loss. I know that betting turnover in bookmakers has dropped significantly, but if we allow the demise of on-track bookmakers, we will live to regret it.

The chairman is coming in at a challenging time for the industry. The sale of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium generated an awful lot of debate, a period during which the previous chairman suffered a lot. It was the correct decision as it took away the debt that was hanging like a guillotine over the board. However, that opportunity will not come again. There will not be another asset like Harold's Cross greyhound stadium to sell. Therefore, we have to ensure we drive forward from here and that the funds left over from the sale will be used as wisely as possible. We need to regenerate the industry and Mr. Nyhan's term of office will be a determining factor in whether the industry survives. It is under extreme pressure and we have to attract young people back to it. The number of young people attending dog race meetings has dropped significantly. Mr. Nyhan faces a lot of challenges, but he is extremely well qualified to hold the position in which tI wish him the best of luck. I am involved in the industry which I would like to see doing well. We face a lot of challenges that we cannot ignore. I am not saying we cannot get it back to where it was, but we need imagination and to show a lot of initiative to do so. I wish Mr. Nyhan well in his tenure.