Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Last Monday morning at first light, machinery moved in to the Harold's Cross greyhound track. They removed the traps, took furniture out from the restaurant and put security on the gates. The 12 staff who work there were locked out. These are the actions of the Irish Greyhound Board, which says it wants to save the greyhound industry. The board held a meeting at the Harold's Cross stadium on the same day they closed it down. The problem within the greyhound industry stems back to a €20 million debt incurred when the new track was built in Limerick. The patrons, dog owners, breeders and trainers who use the Harold's Cross stadium are being made to suffer. There has been an attempt to isolate the patrons and the supporters of the Harold's Cross stadium by saying they are a contrarian group.This week the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation had a meeting in the Horse & Jockey Hotel outside Thurles at which Harold's Cross track got the support of federations across the country from Tipperary to Waterford, Kerry, Cork, the north west, the midlands and Northern Ireland. A protest will be held next Saturday night at Shelbourne Park. No dogs that have run in the Harold's Cross Greyhound Stadium will run in Shelbourne Park. Blocking out staff from work, pulling up traps, dismantling furniture and putting padlocks on gates is no way to deal with a problem. The problem was exacerbated by a statement made by the interim chief executive officer. He stated:

We are committed to making Shelbourne Park perform excellently for all Trainers, Owners, Patrons and Staff, especially for those for whom Harold's Cross was their greyhound home. This will be challenging for all of us but there is a need for all stakeholders to leave aside disagreement and work together through a process of change and opportunity from which improved performance can be extracted.

This is the same person who gave the go-ahead to put the lock on the gate of Harold's Cross stadium. It is like pulling a person down a lane, beating the living daylights out of him and then saying, "Come on, we will be friends, we will have a drink together."

Much reference has been made in this process to the Indecon report, a copy of which I have with me, which is now four years old. It was published in 2014. Reference is made to the need to find ways of saving money through the sale of assets, but the only asset that has been mentioned and acted on is the Harold's Cross track. However, the report states, "Potential asset disposals that should be considered include the site at Meelick, the old Henry Street Head office in Limerick, land in Cork, and the sale of [...] Harold's Cross". Just one has been acted on. The board, including the chair and the interim CEO, have lost the support of the patrons and of the owners and breeders and those involved in the industry want all of them to go.