Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, it appears that this year the Government is continuing its devotion to supporting a deeply problematic greyhound industry. What I find interesting while listening to the debate is that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party are not alone in this regard. They are joined by Sinn Féin and the Labour Party in their support of this very concerning industry. The Government continues year-on-year to prop the industry up. Despite the overarching concerns of standards of care and the loss-making nature in the industry, it is impossible to understand why the Government continues to increase State funding year-on-year in this sector.

Between 2001 and 2020, more than €260 million of public money was given to the commercial greyhound industry. There are sports clubs, community pitches and animal welfare organisations that could never hope to get money like that. A previous speaker described how the greyhound industry is part of Ireland's identity and culture. It is certainly not part of my Irish identity. It is certainly not part of my working-class heritage and background or of anyone else who I grew up with or of anyone in my party. The majority of people in Ireland do not want this funding continued.

Let us compare the €260 million funding with the €1.5 million allocated in the budget for animal welfare organisations, which is double what it used to be. That is less than 10% of the amount the greyhound industry gets. In 2019, the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind received €886,000 from the State. The organisation had to raise €5 million itself. Can anyone say that the public money would not have been better spent on guide and assistance dogs? However, the Government prioritised greyhound racing instead.

There is an issue with the State propping up this industry, and jobs are often used as a justification for this. I ask the Minister and the Government to have some vision when it comes to rural Ireland and these communities and create jobs that benefit the entire community, wildlife and ecotourism. They should not target an industry that is on its last legs and finds it very difficult to get support except from the Government. The Government should have a vision for something productive and positive for rural Ireland rather than doing the same thing each year. The Government is stuck in a rut in this regarding. It continues to fund the industry because it has done so every year. Each year, it gives a little bit extra and if it does not, some very vocal individuals will complain. I ask the Government to have a vision for rural Ireland to make sure people can see the benefits of the €260 million funding.

There has been a catalogue of appalling practices in and declining public support for this industry. The Irish Greyhound Board: Anti Doping and Medication Review, published in 2015, found that there were "longstanding and significant deficiencies in policies, processes, and ... implementation[s] that have been undermining the integrity and reputation of greyhound racing in Ireland."

Another IGB document, prepared by Preferred Results in 2017, stated that the industry in Ireland was not focused on the sport of greyhound racing but on breeding and that it was failing from both a commercial and a regulatory point of view. Despite this, the Minister's Government and previous Governments and oppositions continued to support it and to give the industry money. I just cannot fathom why. It is 2021 and this is where the Minister thinks taxpayer's money should go. Only eight countries in the world allow greyhound racing. The industry is closing, or near to closing, in Mexico. It is banned in all but five states in the US and is significantly contracting in Britain, yet the Government is propping the industry up here. The public does not want its money spent on supporting this industry. There are a great many better ways to spend it. State funding has enabled this financial basket case, these animal welfare issues and these overbreeding practices. Governments have insulated the industry from commercial reality and allowed the IGB to ignore public opinion. Without the annual injection of millions in public money, this industry would have had to rapidly reform or collapse. Instead, money granted by successive Governments, including this one, has propped up a failed industry, an industry that continues to fail the animals it exploits.

I will finish with a quote because I know Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are great for the old quotes. Joe Biden said:

Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.

I will expand beyond the Government and say this to Sinn Féin and Labour as well. What will they spend money on if they get into government? Will they continue to fund the greyhound industry? Will they give it more money than this Government is giving it? They need to put that on the record and make it absolutely and blatantly clear to voters where their priorities lie.

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