Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Acting Chair was hard on Senator Daly so I will be polite. I second the motion Senator Daly proposed. It is an important motion. We need to talk about what this fund is worth to rural Ireland. It is significant because, whether in the dog industry or the horse racing industry, all parishes in rural Ireland have somebody involved in it at some stage. The general feeling in rural communities is that this is one of our core industries and it has been involved in many things throughout society. All of us know people who work and are involved in this. My parish has had two Laurels winners in the past four years, so when it comes to dog racing, in particular, we have seen the benefits of that locally.

We are trying to sustain rural Ireland and rural jobs and to give the feeling we are not big Dublin continually attacking rural Ireland. That feeling is out there in rural Ireland and this fund goes a long way to protecting rural Ireland. It protects core industries and the people who work hard in those industries.

It is important to note that a body of work has been done, particularly in the Committee on Agricultural, Food and the Marine, regarding both of these industries. We have produced reports in the past three or four years and highlighted issues that need to be addressed. That has been a step forward. Particularly regarding the greyhound industry, we brought forward proposals, which have been acted upon, relating to the care and welfare of dogs. These issues are important to society. The report that was published by the committee, of which I think the Minister was a member, has been acted upon by Bord na gCon, which is positive. In recent weeks, we published another report on the equine industry. Those recommendations need to be taken on board as well. That demonstrates the body of work the committee has done to work with both industries to make sure they are appropriate for modern-day Ireland.

The core of the argument is these two industries are a vital part of our society and rural economy. We must do what we can to support our rural economy. We have seen Covid attack it on many levels, and we have seen major issues regarding marketing and people turning up at dog and horse racing tracks. They have been badly affected over the past 21 months. If ever we needed to support those industries it is now. The need for support is there. It has a knock-on benefit for our entire society.