Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for outlining the provisions of this Bill, which is welcome. It was only produced recently despite a long process, which led to its provisions and scheme being complied. It will proceed quickly. We are on Second Stage and Committee Stage is set for next week. I welcome this, as it demonstrates the Minister of State's determination and leadership. I wish we could see more of that when it comes to other legislation such as the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016, of which I spoke in the House yesterday.

This is an important Bill. It is an important industry in Ireland but the welfare of the animals is also important. It was great to see the different stakeholders involved during the pre-legislative scrutiny and their evidence has led to the Bill as drafted. I am from Waterford where Kilcohan Park greyhound stadium has operated for years. It is a place of great community interest.

I welcome action from the Government on regulating an area of animal sporting life in Ireland that has so often been open to mismanagement and problems relating to welfare. Each step we take in changing the way the greyhound industry operates has usually led to an improvement in the welfare of the animals involved, but we must still be cognisant of animal welfare and still have a long way to go before we can be sure the sport is safe and free from cruelty and neglect.

I refer to a number of aspects of the Bill. Section 28 establishes a system of traceability for greyhounds, but the language is too voluntary. There is no provision for the greyhound board to collect and collate relevant data currently. This makes it difficult to assess the health, safety and welfare conditions of these animals.

The specific issue of export regulations and controls is not covered in this legislation. It seems that despite the fact that current exports must be authorised by the Department and the greyhound board, there are no publicly available figures on the total number of dogs exported, nor their destination. We need a whitelist of countries with strict animal welfare regimes that we are authorised to trade with without fear that doing so would endanger the animals involved. Such a system would lessen the burden of regulation falling on the Department and the board, with some inappropriate destinations being ruled out.

We are all well aware of some of the grotesque cruelty and neglect that takes place in some countries where greyhounds race, and that Irish dogs should be sold to these countries where their safety is not guaranteed is clearly a contradiction of the principles of this Bill, and the concept of a fair level of animal welfare. I am reminded of the old adage, "What you can't see won't hurt you". This legislation sets us out in the right direction but it would be remiss of us not to consider the welfare of greyhounds should they be exported.

The amendment of section 28 to create an obligation rather than the option for the Minister to regulate in respect of transparency would be a small but important improvement to ensure the welfare of dogs can be accounted for throughout their lives. This lifetime protection of animals is also key. How greyhounds are treated in the latter years of their lives currently is often unfair, and presents a burden to the taxpayer and those who give their time to work in voluntary shelters such as those run by the Dogs Trust, ISPCA, PAWS, Retired Greyhound Trust and Irish Blue Cross, instead of those that have profited from dogs during their lives. Plans and regulations for the retirement of dogs need to be put in place, and they need to be funded by the industry. That is only fair.

Other Civil Engagement Senators and I support this legislation so far.As I have indicated, however, there could be some strengthening of the legislation and we support any improvements in the general standard of care for greyhounds in Ireland. We cannot make a mockery of such controls by allowing the export of live animals to countries where there is no protection for them. We believe that is a shortcoming.