Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

It is a truism that a society can be judged on how badly or well it protects and supports its weakest and most vulnerable. This applies to the welfare of animals as much as to the welfare of citizens. I am sorry the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, is not a Minister for humanities because we need a welfare Bill for humans in addition to one for a greyhounds and other animals.

Sinn Féin welcomes this Bill and will support the Government in ensuring it is passed. While I was not a member of the previous Administration, I believe the discussion today shows Sinn Féin was wise and correct when it called for a separation of the Welfare of Greyhounds Bill from the general dog breeding establishments and animal welfare legislation. This course of action has been proven to be wise.

Deputy Cowen referred to the very good work being done in the greyhound racing and coursing industry. It is a good industry and I have no doubt that 90% of the people involved treat their animals well and have animal welfare high on their list of priorities. Equally, however, I have no doubt that a percentage of those involved are treating their animals very poorly. Humans being human, a percentage certainly regard the industry as an opportunity to make money, at whatever cost. This legislation gets the balance right between making it easy for those involved in the industry to do the right thing and making it costly if they are caught doing the wrong thing. It is good legislation and Sinn Féin will support it.

This week a dog breeder in Lisburn was found guilty of putting dead puppies through a mincer to feed his ferrets. Given that the establishment in question was an illegal breeding establishment, this legislation on its own would not have prevented the incident, but the story shows the lengths to which some will go and the extent to which they disregard animal welfare if their only motivation is profit.

Ireland has a poor record on greyhound welfare. I am not referring solely to the greyhounds used in the sports industry. At the peak of the industry, approximately 25,000 greyhounds were born in Ireland every year. This is a huge number by comparison with the number of births in other countries. Typically, only 80 greyhounds were adopted into Irish homes per year and between 430 and 450 were adopted into European homes at the end of their racing lives. The worrying point is that 14,000 greyhounds disappear annually from the Irish radar. This is and should be a cause of serious concern. Not all the greyhounds to which I refer were used for racing; many were bred outside the industry, allegedly as pets, and were often used for illegal racing.

The greyhound racing industry is often regarded as difficult to regulate because it is a tough, competitive business in which it is hard to make a profit. Greyhound bitches are often made breed time and again in the chase to find a champion. One can understand why breeders would do this but not every greyhound born will be a champion and not every pup born will make its breeder, trainer or owner a lot of money. I welcome the clause in the Bill that will ensure greyhounds can only produce six litters or, in exceptional circumstances, two in addition where a veterinary inspector certifies that the pregnancy and birth do not present a risk to the health or welfare of the bitch. Such controls are needed.

I welcome the fact that under this legislation, greyhounds cannot be bred until the age of 15 months. This is a necessary provision. The success, or otherwise, of the legislation will depend on the extent to which adherence is monitored. The suitability of accommodation, food, drink, exercise and bedding materials in greyhound breeding establishments will have to be monitored. Monitoring should be done in a way that encourages people to do the right thing and that strictly penalises those who are not doing the right thing by the greyhounds.

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