Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

As we know, each year we go through this process for the horse and greyhound industry to get this very large amount of public funding. It is a large amount of public funding and we have to place it in the context of the situation in the country. Every day, we come in here and talk about our hospitals, health services and education system, and places where we have resource difficulties and not enough money in place to deal with them, yet, we have this large amount of money going to these two industries. That is why it is so important we have proper governance in place. Everyone recognises that.

The Minister mentioned the Indecon report into the industry, which has a number of recommendations. Those recommendations are very important, particularly when it comes to the welfare of animals. One of the other recommendations that a lot of people would have an issue with, and some raised eyebrows about, relates to the amount of money that goes towards prize funds. Naturally enough, we see many of those, when we look at the very big horse races in particular. Those who walk around the ring having won the prize funds are the very wealthiest and most elite in our society. There needs to be a certain balance there. That needs to be said.

However, we also recognise that the Irish horse is renowned throughout the world. We have an industry that brings great credit to the people who are part of that industry, work so hard in it and deliver so much for it. The huge investment, time and effort that goes into that needs to be rewarded and recognised. We also have to recognise the people who work in the industry at every level of it, from those mucking out the stables, riding out the horses and doing all that work, to the breeders and everyone involved in the horse racing industry, all of whom have a great love of their animals. They have not just a tradition but a sense, including in my own family going way back, who were people who had horses and used to say this, that the horse is in the person. That was the type of connection that was there. We have a similar thing in the greyhound industry. I know many people in that industry who breed greyhounds and are part of that. They have a great love and affection for their animals, and want to work with them and be part of it. It was mentioned that these are rural pursuits, but they are very much urban pursuits, particularly the greyhound part of it. A lot of people in a lot of towns are involved in greyhounds and all of that.

There will be the very odd time, and isolated incident, where people will not be good to their animals. Where cruelty or neglect is involved, or any of these things happen, we need to ensure there is absolute full adherence and the full rigours of the law are brought to bear in respect of that because it brings an entire set of people into disrepute. We need to ensure that is done, which is why we need the recommendations of the report on the welfare of animals, particularly in the greyhound sector. We need to ensure the Minister funds that and the recommendation that a certain amount of the funds be ring-faced for that is actually put in place.

It was raised, legitimately enough, that quite a lot of money is being spent on care centres for greyhounds. When we look at the number of dogs that are rehomed and compare the cost of it, it seems a very high price is being paid for a small number of dogs to be rehomed. That is something the Minister should look at or examine. We certainly do not want an accusation coming out that somebody, somewhere, is using the system for their benefit rather than the benefit of dogs and the welfare of animals. One of the criticisms there has been in the past is that this has happened.

We have improved a lot in the last number of years. There is still a distance to go. The Indecon report that has come out points to some of the direction that needs to go in. There also needs to be an examination of those who work in the industry. A lot of them are sometimes people who come from abroad to Ireland. They are international workers who come here to work in the industry. How they are treated, looked after, properly remunerated and all of that also needs to be brought into sharp focus. We do not want anything to throw a shadow over any industry in this country. Certainly, this industry is one we need to ensure we have the maximum amount of responsibility around because of the very large amount of public funding that goes toward it.

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