Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

As we discuss the public funding of the greyhound racing industry, I want to raise some concerning information my office uncovered recently. For the past number of months, I have been submitting parliamentary questions to the Department and to Rásaíocht Con Éireann seeking data on the status of racing greyhounds in Ireland. This follows the reports from the Irish Examiner last year that nearly 2,800 racing greyhounds born in 2021 and registered in Ireland, more than a fifth, were either dead or unaccounted for. The recent data I have obtained from Rásaíocht Con Éireann shows further concerning data from that 2021 cohort. As recently as 24 September of this year, 2,415 racing greyhounds born in 2021 were recorded as still active on the Rásaíocht Con Éireann traceability system. These dogs are now aged between 48 and 60 months, which is absolutely at the upper limit at which dogs might still actively race. Are we to believe that these 2,415 dogs are still being actively raced well beyond their expected retirement? When my office sought information about the status of those dogs on the race management system, which would show how many of these dogs had raced in the past 42 days, Rásaíocht Con Éireann refused to provide that information repeatedly. Essentially, it will not tell us the status of this cohort of dogs. Where are these dogs? Are they alive? Are they homed? How many of them have been culled? Throughout this debate there is a constant refrain from the Minister that welfare is improving in the greyhound industry but when there is a failure by a State body to be transparent with facts, it is indicative of an industry that is not taking welfare seriously. I would really appreciate if the Ministers could come back to me in writing on this. It is something I have been pursuing at length over the past few months.

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