Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

On my walks these days it is common enough to see people out walking with graceful animals - greyhounds. The dogs are invariably rescue dogs, but where have they been rescued from? They have been rescued from abandonment. They have been rescued from a greyhound industry which is scandal ridden and cruel. It was cruel, it is cruel and it will always will be cruel because, when it is run for profit, it cannot be any other way. That is the view of a growing body of opinion within society. For example, Dogs Trust had always called for reform of the industry rather than its abolition. It now wants to see it abolished. The ISPCA wants to see it phased out within a number of years.

If this motion is passed tonight the amount of money that has been gifted to the industry will pass the €300 million mark in the next year. That is money that would be far better spent on socially useful projects. I am not at all surprised that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not see it that way. It is a disgrace that the Green Party is going along with this. I note the Labour Party amendment but I say to the Labour Party that it needs to catch up. It needs to catch up with Dogs Trust and the ISPCA. However, it is a real scandal on the part of the Green Party.

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