Ms Dearbhla O'Brien:

Attendances need to be restored with enjoyment and distribution of the sport structured such that is serves both rural and local communities while regaining its place as an urban and tourist attraction. We also need to restore and rebuild the image and perception of greyhound racing in Ireland. Armed with facts and the right welfare and care initiatives, we need to debunk much of the negative image and perceptions attached to the industry- some deserved and some misplaced.

As CEO, I want to impress upon committee members today that care and welfare remains the priority of the board and that RCÉ and the greyhound industry are making significant strides forward in this area. For example, 2021 marked the first year of operation of the Rásaíocht Con Éireann traceability system, RCÉTS, which ensures that the status of all racing greyhounds is available at any given time.

Under this new system, registered greyhounds are tracked through all stages of life including birth, microchipping, racing career, changes of ownership, location, export, retirement and end of life. Owners, trainers and breeders are required to maintain an accurate record on the traceability system through direct notifications on the RCÉTS web portal and mobile app every 42 days. This period of every 42 days is key. Compliance is mandatory for every greyhound owner or trainer who wishes to enter any greyhound in their care in a race or a trial at an RCÉ track. No compliance means no racing with no exception. Automated suspensions were introduced on 15 January this year.

In 2021, 23,760 greyhounds were subject to traceability on RCÉTS. Of this figure, 18,538 greyhounds were active, which means a status of currently racing or trialling was assigned to them. A total of 5,222 greyhounds were inactive, which means they have stopped racing or trialling activity in Ireland. Of this 5,222 figure, RCÉ can now report on and categorise the inactive greyhound by status of exported, rehomed, retained as pet and deceased.

The numbers of recorded deaths can also be further extrapolated to capture general cause of death.

The system allows for a proper and clear analysis based on facts, not assumptions, and gives RCÉ proper data upon which it can enforce its recently expanded legislative powers. The success of this system means that apart from cattle, racing greyhounds are now the most regulated and tracked animal on the island of Ireland. That point is worth reiterating. RCÉTS has led to an increase in directed and focused inspections. In 2021, 1,221 welfare inspections were carried out, with 914 having been carried out to the end of April 2022. A record 2,000 inspections are planned by the end of this year, which compares with 615 inspections in total in 2019. These inspections are both random and targeted. In 2021, ten welfare notices and 82 fixed penalties issued, with 62 fixed penalties having issued so far this year. This compares with four fixed-penalty notices in 2020. The second phase of the traceability system, which is in development, will add further functionality and reporting to the system, including a microchip-scanning project, the recording of injury data and the uploading of veterinary certificates. While RCÉ is authorised to regulate in the jurisdiction of Ireland only, it is our aim to build on the successful delivery of RCÉTS by using the valuable information collated together with regular information exchanges with our counterpart organisation in the UK, which is a significant destination market for Irish greyhounds.

The continued expansion of RCÉTS coincides with the development and further improvement of a range of other welfare and care programmes, including the greyhound care fund, which is dedicated to a variety of initiatives for the care and welfare of the greyhound. The fund receives 50% of the proceeds from all current sponsorship obtained by RCÉ, 10% of all admissions and restaurant packages and 5% of net tote income. RCÉ spends well in excess of the Government-stipulated 10% of the Horse and Greyhound Fund on welfare. In 2022, we have budgeted to spend more than € 3.6 million on welfare and traceability, up from €2.2 million in 2019.

Greyhound Racing Ireland, GRI, operates a range of foster care initiatives supporting foster care homes, of which there are currently six, which care for 135 greyhounds as of May, and two new greyhound care centres, which are under negotiation following a tender process. RCÉ operates and funds the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, IRGT, a registered charity that provides rehoming opportunities for greyhounds both domestically and internationally via direct placement and by providing financial assistance to private rehoming agencies. In 2021, the IRGT rehomed 2,234 greyhounds, a 25% increase on 2020’s rehoming figure of 1,775. A total of 422 greyhounds were rehomed with the trust in the UK in 2021. The IRGT has also recently made arrangements with reputable US rehoming agencies that will place a number of greyhounds from Ireland, namely, Greyhound Pets of America, Finding Loving Irish Greyhound Homes Together & Salukis, FLIGHTS, and Flying Irish Greyhounds, some of which have decided to pay 100% of the costs of transport.

Despite the great work of the IRGT, rehoming is becoming increasingly challenging, as all animal welfare agencies are finding. This is in part due to the war in Ukraine and the return to work for millions of people throughout Europe post pandemic. While greyhounds make for wonderful family pets, RCÉ will continue to advocate and educate such that responsibility for the greyhound is, ultimately, with its owner, who must be prepared to care for the greyhound for the entirety of its life and beyond its racing career. We plan to bring forward initiatives, both educationally and practically, that will reinforce this responsibility.

RCÉ this year announced a significant expansion of existing supports for seriously injured greyhounds, including the serious injury scheme and the dental assistance scheme, and next week we will launch a new kennel improvement scheme providing financial assistance for the upgrading of kennels. In late 2021, RCÉ launched a new code of practice, approved by the Minister, that applies to any person who keeps, breeds, rears, trains, races, trades or transports a greyhound in Ireland.

The laboratory analysis of samples obtained from greyhounds is an integral part of integrity and welfare programs within RCÉ. I am delighted to report a marked decreasing trend in regard to adverse analytical findings reported over the six-year period to 2021. In 2021, 4,859 samples were analysed by the Irish National Accreditation Board, INAB, with 13, or 0.27%, adverse analytical findings, down from 29 adverse analytical findings, or 0.54%, in 2017. This indicates a well-regulated sport that takes its integrity responsibilities very seriously regarding doping and medication control through the implementation of a multifaceted approach to testing activity.

To assist RCÉ in fulfilling its mandate as regulator of the racing greyhound sector, updated legislation has begun to be enacted. RCÉ urges that the current statutory instrument legislating that euthanasia of a greyhound must be carried out by a veterinary practitioner, which is currently before the Minister, be adopted as soon as possible and that amendments to regulations, as submitted by RCÉ under the Greyhound Racing Act 2019, be amended accordingly. We want to raise the greyhound racing industry to a new level whereby the culture of care and welfare is such that no healthy greyhound will have its life ended prematurely and with the correct legislative tools, we can do this.

Aside from further expanding our care and welfare schemes, RCÉ’s focus in 2022 is to get attendance levels back up at our tracks and to offer entertainment as a destination tourism attraction, as much as it is a place of pride for the local greyhound owner and enthusiast. Work is under way on a new five-year strategic plan that will build on the significant developments under care and welfare, in addition to developing a racing model that is economically viable and scaled appropriately for the country and its population and that brings back the buzz. We are delighted to announce that this year, the Irish Derby will once again be broadcast live on national TV from Shelbourne Park, returning the sport to its rightful place.

While the industry needs restructuring, it also needs investment in key capital projects such as Shelbourne Park, which is to greyhound racing what Croke Park is to the GAA. The board of RCÉ has unanimously affirmed its long-term intention to retain greyhound racing at this historic site and has committed to delivering capital improvements that will enhance the stadium and the track for the people. Plans and designs for this state-of-the-art investment are under way, with works expected to commence in early 2023.

Why should investments such as this matter? Apart from the sport’s deep roots in communities throughout the country, greyhound racing is also a significant net contributor to the economy. A report compiled by consultant economist Jim Power and published by RCÉ in July 2021 shows that our industry made a net contribution to the economy of €132.3 million in 2019 and supported 4,150 full-time and part-time jobs. An additional 6,211 active greyhound owners derived economic benefit from the industry in 2019, the last full year of activity before the pandemic. An investment of a further €117.8 million was made by greyhound owners in 2019 in preparing and racing greyhounds. This is significant expenditure, and much of it is injected into local economies and supports thousands of local jobs. Wagering activity on greyhounds contributes to the overall betting levy collected by the Exchequer. This levy was increased from 1% to 2% in 2019, resulting in a return to the Exchequer of €95 million in that year. Furthermore, an estimated €8 million per year was raised at greyhound meetings for worthy causes prior to the pandemic.

In a post-Covid world, greyhound racing is seeking to re-establish itself as a significant vehicle for fundraising for sporting organisations such as GAA clubs and charitable causes. As I previously indicated, our industry will continue to face difficult challenges as the country exits from the pandemic. The ongoing challenge for RCÉ is to continue the development of a commercial greyhound racing industry built on a consumer-focused and high-quality entertainment product that meets the highest possible international regulatory and welfare standards. I look forward to working with the RCÉ board and staff and the wider greyhound community to explore new opportunities for the development and growth of our industry.

I again thank the committee for affording RCÉ the opportunity to address it. My colleagues and I look forward to answering any questions members may have. If additional information arising from the meeting is required, we will be happy to provide it as swiftly as we can.