Ms Suzie Carley:

I thank the Chairman and the members for inviting Dogs Trust to speak to them today and I welcome the joint committee’s scrutiny of the general scheme of the Greyhound Industry Bill. They will have seen our written submission so I will quickly go through some key points and not keep them too long.

This draft Bill provides an opportunity to protect Irish greyhounds from export to countries for racing where there is inadequate welfare legislation or welfare standards which are far below that which we have in Ireland, such as Pakistan and Macau, in China.

Dogs Trust is Ireland's and Europe’s largest dog welfare charity. In 2016, we re-homed 2,853 dogs. We never put a healthy dog to sleep and take a cradle to grave approach to all the dogs in our care. We do not receive any Government funding, and it is with thanks to our tens of thousands of amazing supporters across Ireland that the far-reaching activities of Dogs Trust have had an impact throughout the country.

We welcome the general scheme of the Greyhound Industry Bill 2017 and we hope that through thorough investigation and scrutiny from stakeholders and legislators we will provide the best legislation possible to protect Irish greyhounds. In our submission to the committee the members will find a number of proposed amendments to the general scheme of the Bill for the protection of greyhounds, but due to time constraints today I will focus on what we consider to be one of the most crucial from an animal welfare perspective, namely, the export of greyhounds for racing to countries with inadequate welfare legislation and deplorable animal welfare standards.

No legislation exists in Ireland which prevents the export of Irish greyhounds to countries where welfare standards are below that which we have in Ireland. We are proposing an amendment to the Greyhound Industry Bill which provides for a regime to ban the export of greyhounds for racing, and we hope the committee will support this amendment. I refer members to Annex I of our written submission.

We have engaged with the greyhound industry in Ireland through the International Greyhound Forum, which was established almost 13 years ago by the former CEO of Dogs Trust, Ms Clarissa Baldwin, to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is at the core of the industry. Starting from a low base, significant improvements have been achieved through the work of the forum, which has developed a mutual respect and understanding between the industry while rigorously pushing for improvements in animal welfare standards at all levels.

In recent years, grave concerns have been raised about the export of Irish greyhounds to race in countries where the welfare standards are poor or non-existent. One such case which was highlighted in national and international media in May of last year was when 24 Irish greyhounds were stopped at Heathrow Airport while being exported to Macau, in China. To be clear, the Yat Yeun Canidrome in China is cited as one of the most deplorable racing tracks in the world. Loud music is played on race night to drown out the cries of the 800 greyhounds living there. The track provides little space for greyhounds to turn around in their steel cages, and there are little to no veterinary services for dogs when they become injured. That is one of the reasons they are often destroyed in the most cruel and inhuman ways. Ultimately, no dog retires from the Canidrome; they all die there.

Those 24 Irish greyhounds did not make it to Macau simply because their cages did not meet the transport requirements and so they were returned to Ireland. I mention this case specifically because it is one which has been well documented; many other greyhounds are exported for racing and are untracked and untraceable. This case led to a petition with over 65,000 signatures and demonstrations in Ireland and outside the Irish Embassy in London as well as calls from worldwide animal welfare organisations for the Irish Government to ban the export of greyhounds to China. Not only are these scandals incredibly difficult to read about as a nation of animal lovers but they are seriously damaging to Ireland's animal welfare reputation.

As I am sure the members are aware, Deputy Tommy Broughan introduced a Private Members' Bill to amend the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 on 21 March 2017.

This Bill, if adopted, will allow for the welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum, IGF – Dogs Trust, ISPCA, PAWS, Retired Greyhound Trust in the UK, and the Irish Blue Cross - and a representative of the veterinary profession along with the IGB to produce a draft list of countries that meet minimum standards with regard to the welfare of greyhounds and to which licensed export of greyhounds from Ireland can be permissible. This draft list will be open to public consultation for a minimum of 30 days. The final list - the white list - will be submitted to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and will be revised annually.

Following discussions with other welfare organisations and with a number of public representatives, we believe that the provisions set down in the Bill tabled by Deputy Broughan could be integrated into the Greyhound Industry Bill. Given the support publicly provided by the greyhound industry for the prevention of the export of greyhounds to countries where the standards are below those in Ireland, we see no reason not to introduce this sooner rather than later. In reply to a parliamentary question on 4 May, the Minister fully endorsed the IGB's advice to only export to destinations with sound welfare standards. We do not wish to see Irish greyhounds treated in a way other than they are treated in Ireland.

Ultimately, Dogs Trust and the welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum as well as the wider Irish welfare community want more robust regulation throughout the industry with better welfare provision for greyhounds before they get to the track, when they are racing and when they are retired. Dogs Trust is not calling for a ban on the export of greyhounds per sebut, as a society, we have a duty to protect the animal which gives its all during its short racing career. As an animal welfare charity, our main concern is that welfare standards are appropriate to ensure the protection of greyhounds and that they are adhered to. Our current view, which I am sure all members will share, is that changes are required to the current legislation to safeguard the well-being of our greyhounds.

I thank members for their time and I welcome any questions they may have.