Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 12, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:“(3) The membership of the Board shall include one or more than one veterinary practitioner of at least 5 years standing.”.

I thank the Minister of State for his time in the Seanad this evening. I will start by welcoming the Bill and the strong reforms it will implement to the governance of the greyhound racing sector. Much work has gone into the Bill before us. I recognise the 2014 Indecon report commissioned by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the 2015 report on the industry by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Morris review of anti-doping and medication in Ireland published in 2016, all of which have played a part in contributing to the drafting of this legislation, as well as the advocacy of a range of organisations and NGOs that have been part of the process such as Dogs Trust, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA, and the Irish Council Against Blood Sports.

For today's debate, my colleagues, Senators Black, Grace O'Sullivan and Higgins, and I have all tabled several amendments to the Bill. Taken together, they are brought forward in an attempt to work alongside and complementary to the provisions, as currently set out, and to strengthen and broaden those provisions that refer to the welfare and health of greyhounds within the industry. We do not wish to hold up this important legislation, merely to ensure that it leaves the Seanad strengthened and more complete as it relates to the animals at the core of this industry. It is an unfortunate reality that the industry has not always put the welfare of dogs at the centre of its practices. While progress has been made in recent years, there have been widespread violations of animal welfare, which we are seeking to ward off by the enactment of this legislation.

In amendment No. 3 we seek to ensure that the health and welfare of animals are put at the heart of the governance of the greyhound racing industry and the new greyhound board. Our intention with this amendment is to make it a statutory requirement that a veterinary practitioner be on the board. Such practitioners have dedicated their careers to the health and well-being of animals and we believe their presence on the board would have a significant impact on raising welfare standards across the industry as all board decisions and discussions would be seen by someone in the room through an animal welfare lens. It is a simple and straightforward amendment intended in a constructive spirit and I hope the Minister of State will accept it.