Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

It used part of our heritage that if a woman opened her mouth, men were able to dunk her in the river. Thousands of jobs were created in rural areas because of Magdalen laundries. Do people want to keep that going? No, it is old school. We have learned our lesson. Greyhound racing is old school as well. I am opposing this motion on the basis that horse racing has serious issues and greyhound racing cannot be redeemed. I support the amendment not because I think it is strong enough but because passing it would be progress, however incremental.

I said previously that greyhound racing should banned outright. It is happening elsewhere, as others have mentioned. We risk being left behind in terms of calling ourselves a progressive country. It is an industry, not a sport and one that has been subject of multiple scandals involving cruelty and mistreatment of animals. It has very little public support any more even rural areas and stadiums are hardly ever full to capacity. Deputy Whitmore mentioned that they are 75% to 90% empty, showing that there is little appetite among the Irish public. The industry would not survive without taxpayer funding and it is not volunteer driven like many sports.

Greyhounds have short lives in this cruel business. There are high injury and death rates. I will not go into the death rates which were mentioned earlier. The dogs are killed when the injuries are too serious or when they are no longer economically viable. We have also had many reports of neglect and abandonment. Greyhounds are often exported to countries with even weaker animal protection laws. Let us be clear; it is all about the gambling. There are no health benefits for people participating in the sector and no benefit for the dogs themselves. The sport's purpose these days has shifted from local community meets where no one turns up any more to generating betting products for international markets rather than community entertainment which was a weak argument back in the day but an argument, nonetheless. As others have said, the money is going towards prizes but even after the Indecon report, there has been little or no progress. It needs to end imminently.

I know there are jobs involved which is why we should follow the lead of organisations like Dogs Trust Ireland and the ISPCA that have called for a phased closure, citing unnecessary and preventable deaths. A phased ban would work. It should be wound down slowly over three or four years. We should focus on animal welfare, economic transition and supporting communities in creating jobs. For example, we could have stricter enforcement of welfare standards while winding it down; increased money for rehoming programmes and adopting dogs; and restrictions on breeding. If the greyhound stadiums around the country were repurposed, it could unlock huge community benefits for sport, culture and social connections. Tracks could be converted into pitches, indoor fitness centres and youth training academies in partnership with local clubs. Let the industry manage these. Let there be an income for the communities. Let there be an income and jobs for the people working in the greyhound industry. We have to move with the times. There is no point looking to the past for a dying industry that cannot survive without subsidies. Let us get real.

See this speech in context