Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Many sports in Ireland, including greyhound racing, receive State funding. We share the concern of the many people who have expressed deep unease about the welfare of greyhounds bred for racing. We welcome any progress on the welfare of greyhounds but see any current measures as only the first step on a very long road. There is a long way to go before anyone can safely say that welfare issues have been addressed to everyone's satisfaction. For many years, the Labour Party has consistently called for higher standards of animal welfare in many areas of society, including the greyhound sector. We welcome the progress which has been made to advance the welfare of greyhounds. Since 2010, the Labour Party has endeavoured to make the greyhound racing sector operate on a revenue-neutral basis by ensuring that a percentage of the funding raised through the betting tax is used to support the sector. That proposal is now reality.

The Labour Party does not support the removal of State funding for greyhound racing at this time. We are fearful that any defunding now would lead to the gradual resumption of a regime where practices were not subject to any proper scrutiny. The Horse and Greyhound Fund gives the taxpayer power. It makes the taxpayer the scrutineer of all welfare practices. I would be very reluctant to remove that power at a time when the attention paid by the public to this sector has never been greater.

We will continue to support further measures to enhance the welfare of greyhounds. I particularly welcome the fact that 10% of the State funding given to greyhound racing is spent exclusively on the care and welfare of greyhounds. This is a positive first step but it should not be the endpoint. I welcome the fact that the sport's governing body, Rásaíocht Con Éireann, has been implementing a care and welfare programme.

However, the Government amendment is a cut-and-paste job based on a Rásaíocht Con Éireann briefing note. This amendment does nothing for the sustainability of the greyhound sector. One fundamental issue is whether the board of Rásaíocht Con Éireann enjoys the confidence of the wider public and its own stakeholders on delivering on the agenda of animal welfare and the sustainability of the sector. We contend that the only way to ensure confidence is to make tangible improvements beyond the measures implemented so far. For instance, we would like to see evidence a nationwide roll-out of care centres similar to the one in Tipperary. Evidence of the construction of a second centre might build some confidence. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that designating 10% of the fund for welfare and rehoming would allocate €1.9 million to the purpose. That is a significant pot of money, which will not be available if funding is cut or phased out over time. Public trust in the sector and the administration thereof is very low. Recent revelations in the industry are proof of that. The only way to restore that trust is a further roll-out of care centres across the country and clear evidence of rehoming.

This is not just the demand of the public. Owners and trainers throughout the country are calling for the same thing. In my experience, greyhound owners are intelligent people who know instinctively that the future of their sector, which is loss making, depends on a transparent and world-class welfare and rehoming programme that demands 100% traceability. Every trainer I have spoken to is looking forward to the traceability regime and accepts it with open arms. Such a regime is dependent on a governance structure that subjects the expenditure of public money to the type of rigorous oversight we witnessed when Deputy Alan Kelly had the sector in his sights at the Committee on Public Accounts. We need further evidence of the roll-out of the traceability system. Until then, doubts will remain.

Turning to the fund itself, we note that the 2010 Labour Party proposal has become practice. Back then, we proposed that the Horse and Greyhound Fund should be revenue-neutral. We welcome the increase in the betting tax, which yielded €95 million in 2019. We fear that any defunding of the greyhound sector, which has been proposed in the many emails I have received on the matter, would force animal welfare gains backwards. We contend that the money given to the fund gives the taxpayer skin in the game and helps to ensure animal welfare and traceability standards are met. I note that the motion does not refer to the horse racing industry, which whether we like it or not also has serious welfare issues. If the fund is revenue-neutral, we should bag the very small gains that have been made on welfare and traceability and use the funding to make further gains. The relevant Oireachtas committee should ensure that those responsible for animal welfare in the horse and greyhound sectors are subject to rigorous and independent scrutiny on a regular basis. For instance, the statement by the board referring to the implementation of an extensive rehoming programme, with more than 1,300 greyhounds rehomed in 2020 to date with assistance from the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, should be subject to greater scrutiny.

The board claims that the traceability system will ensure that important events in the life of racing greyhounds, including birth, microchipping, registration, racing career, changes of ownership or trainer location, export, retirement and end of life, are accurately recorded. This should be subject to ongoing and rigorous scrutiny.

The Social Democrats is right to shine a light on an important and vital sector, which traverses urban and rural life. Taking away its funding is not the best way to bring about these urgently needed changes.

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