Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

Members are resuming the debate on the Bill at a critical stage. Fine Gael has tabled three amendments that were discussed at length on the previous occasion. Amendment No. 10 proposes that "greyhounds should be exempt from the limit of six litters, subject to veterinary approval". Amendment No. 10 proposes that "greyhounds should be exempt from the requirement that a bitch is not to be mated inside 12 months from the previous litter", while amendment No. 14 proposes that "greyhounds registered through the Irish Coursing Club should be exempt from the micro-chipping requirement".

These amendments have been tabled because of the greyhound industry's genuine concern that, if the Bill is passed as drafted, it will prove a real threat to the industry's viability. Given the breeding of champion dogs in Ireland and its high reputation here and abroad, I wish to point out an important statistic, that is, 77% of the dogs racing in the UK are Irish bred. This tells me that the industry means much to our economy.

On the last day we debated the Bill, I pointed out at length what would occur if Fine Gael's amendments were not accepted. Good brood bitches that are in demand will be exported to other jurisdictions. As a consequence, Irish racing and the Irish greyhound industry will no longer be recognised as being successful. This is a genuine concern for the industry and should be a concern for us as public representatives.

It is disappointing that, to date during this debate, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has been unwilling to consider many of Fine Gael's amendments despite their being reasonable and being tabled in a genuine attempt to protect the greyhound industry. We have no difficulty with introducing strict regulations on puppy farming. That was what the Bill was about. We referred at length to the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 and its role in respect of the Irish Coursing Club's authority over the breeding of greyhounds. We also pointed to the various inspection and licensing regimes for the industry. We have a real fear that, if we have more layers of inspection, bureaucracy and so on without any reference to the 1958 Act, we will close down large sections of the industry.

The Government has invested in many greyhound tracks in the past ten or 15 years. I will give credit where it is due because the Government invested in the greyhound industry and upgraded and modernised many tracks. Waterford city has the Kilcohan Park track, which I remember as once being dilapidated. It is now a state-of-the-art track with restaurant facilities that is regularly visited by many families. It is a significant success and a good piece of infrastructure for a city or community and has been replicated throughout the country. The Irish Greyhound Board is making a considerable investment in Limerick, but in this Bill we are saying it is a viable industry in which we will invest while at the same time posing a threat to the industry's fundamentals. The reason the industry exists is the successful breeding and racing that have taken place for many years without complaint. It has been successful and managed well, but we are introducing a Bill that will threaten everything.

Many people are listening to this debate because they rightly have concerns about the industry's future. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, is not considering Fine Gael's amendments. As I have stated on the public record, if amendments were forthcoming from the Government side, from the Green Party or Fianna Fáil, that would meet the concerns highlighted by this side of the House, I would be willing to withdraw our amendments. However, there seems to be no effort to come over to our way of thinking. This is a pity because the Bill and its amendments have rightly been debated at great length by many of our colleagues from all sides of the House. If the Bill is passed in its current form, it will be too late to cry about running down the industry. Now is the time to effect change. For this reason, Fine Gael has tabled these amendments. Some Government Senators have spoken in support of our amendments, so I urge them to talk to their colleagues and Ministers, including the Minister responsible, and consider our amendments before it is too late.

I could say much more, but we will pursue these amendments. I hope the Minister or his officials, even in the past week, had an opportunity to consult the wider public and the industry and see the common sense in Fine Gael's proposals. The greyhound industry is concerned the Bill will be detrimental to its existence. I hope the Minister of State will take my opinions on board.