Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am from north Kerry, where a lot of greyhound breeders have contributed hugely to the economy of the local area and further afield. There is a tremendous community and social side to the greyhound track in Tralee on a Friday or Saturday night; therefore, it is with sadness that I have to raise some issues about the sector. I have been lobbied by small greyhound breeders who are absolutely disgusted and feel let down by the lack of regulation and proper policing and testing in the greyhound sector. One particular greyhound has tested three times in four weeks for cocaine, but the owner took the case to the courts and won his case. As a result, the dog was allowed to run without any sanction on the trainer or owner. That is wrong because it means the small man cannot compete with the big man. The big man can find experienced personnel to buck the system and that has happened on several occasions.

The reputation of the greyhound sector has suffered over a considerable time and we have not just learned about this today or yesterday, yet nothing has been done by successive Governments to bring about proper policing and testing within the sector. There is no sanction when, over a four-week period, a trainer can win three high value stakes with a dog that tested positive for cocaine each time. How can anybody have any confidence in such a sector or allocate money to it when this happens? This is the complaint of the small breeders who have five or six dogs and try to win a stake every now and then. If they could win it would make a big difference to them but they cannot do so and my party and I have serious problems with this motion as a result. It is with reluctance that I have to say we cannot support it.

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