Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister of State has met representatives of the ISPCA, he will know that it, the Irish Blue Cross and Dogs Trust are implacably opposed to the export of greyhounds to China. The Minister of State's response today is contradictory, as were the responses of his predecessors. On the one hand, as the Minister of State has tried to do today, we have been told previously that once the appropriate animal health and welfare certificate requirements are met in transit it does not really matter what happens to them at the end of their journey. However, contradicting that is the fact that in March of this year the Department blocked the Irish Greyhound Board from exporting dogs to China because of animal welfare concerns.

The reality is that the practice, which poses significant danger to the dogs involved, is continuing. The practice has been highlighted internationally by animal welfare organisations and has got quite a lot of global attention. Deputy O'Sullivan's question is seeking the intervention of the Minister of State in this situation and for him to play a role. To be honest, he can, because his predecessor has done it before, and the circumstances mean he should do it in this case, particularly to be in line with the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011. This Act states that anyone who trades, transports, rears or trains a greyhound has to have due regard to a code of practice. It includes situations where they are being traded and transported, so the final destination is key. If they are going to end up at a destination where they are going to be discarded, mauled and end up undoubtedly dead, we should stop that practice.

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