Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Indeed, the old dog for the hard road. That dog is dead. As the normal lifespan of a dog is much less than 26 years, presumably, the semen was frozen, but it continues to be used today. That is wrong. Is the Minister of State willing to deal with the issue? I hope to have an opportunity to introduce an amendment on Report Stage.

There is a cartel operating within the industry. As I understand it, one centre in the North is flaunting the fact that it has in cold storage and available for use €5 million worth of AI seed from male greyhounds. How can the ordinary punter deal with this? Most owners and breeders cannot afford the AI fees which range from €2,000 to €7,000 to have a dog sired.Therefore, they are being left helpless because this is continuing despite the fact the regulation is there and the Irish Greyhound Board chooses not to implement it. I do not understand why it is not being implemented. Surely if Bord na gCon introduced a regulation in 2014, it should be implemented. Perhaps it is beyond the scope of the Minister of State's remit but how can it be dealt with? What is the Department's view on dealing with the issue once and for all? It is a massive bone of contention. It is really unfair. There is no equity in the issue of AI. It is grossly unfair to have a cartel in the sector. It is very wrong and it needs to be dealt with. I am not sure exactly how. One way would be to ban frozen semen altogether. That would be the simple way to deal with it. I am not sure whether the Minister would be open to that at this stage.