Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

My views on animal welfare are no secret in this House. I have expressed them here and I have a long history on this matter. I abhor animal cruelty. I neither have faith in nor do I believe that this fund is necessary or the best use of moneys at this time. I have never voted in favour of this fund, and I will not vote in favour of it now. I will deal with the consequences of that in my own time.

Animal welfare issues come up all the time in Irish society and people have a visceral response to them. It was only a couple of months ago that I was before the House discussing animal welfare issues at Dublin Zoo. People had a visceral response to that and we have seen a similar response in relation to the greyhound industry. I need not raise the infamous RTÉ programme on the industry, which was met with a visceral response from the Irish public. Senator Pauline O'Reilly noted that a poll found that 16% of the public continue to support the industry. This means that 84% of those polled do not support the industry. That is a significant number and it needs to be taken seriously.

Based on some of the responses, the least we can do is look at how we regulate the system and fund greyhound and horse racing. The horse and greyhound racing industries are supported by the State through a ring-fenced statutory fund and a significant amount of that funding going towards prizes. This has been the subject of debate over the past couple of weeks. Those prizes tend to go to the most successful. Close to €50 million in tax-free prizes go to some of the richest people in Ireland, not all of whom pay tax here. I do not know if that is the best use of this fund.

Other can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the horse racing industry receives financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, with €72.8 million having been allocated to support horse racing in 2023, 80% of which can be applied to prize money. That means an incredible amount of money is going into prizes. That is wild. When people sit down and think about that, I do not believe they would consider it a good use of funds.

I listened to the Minister debate this issue with Deputy Paul Murphy on a radio programme. He spoke about the two sides to this and said that in terms of winnings, greyhound racing is a loss-making industry for those who take part in it. It is, he said, by and large a hobby that actually costs those who are involved in it. We know this industry is not making money and is in decline. The level of interest in greyhound racing has been in decline since 2008. I understand 1.1 million people attended races in 2008, while in the first few months of this year, the figure was as low as 73,000. Besides the rapid decline in interest, 6,300 greyhounds are sold to the UK every year at a loss of almost €5,000 each. That is a lot of money that this industry is haemorrhaging.

If the State is seeking to promote compassion and kindness - Members of both Houses often speak about compassion and kindness - we need to think about vulnerable animals. It is not enough to be only concerned about humanitarian action. As a nation, we need to address how we treat animal welfare overall and not only in the greyhound industry. We are not looking at this in the right way. If I am honest, I believe the greyhound and horse racing industry monetises animal suffering. This cruel act of war against our animals and this trade for profit take place before our eyes. I need not go into some of the ways the animals in this industry are being treated. We justify the killing of an innocent dog because it cannot continue to make those who profit from it money. Thirty-eight greyhounds are killed each month in the industry for overbreeding. That figure is repugnant.

We have tabled a balanced amendment. I went through the Minister’s remarks. When dealing with any other Bill or motion, the Minister does not call out people for not tabling an amendment at any other point. This is the motion we have before us. I noticed that in the Lower House the Minister skewered Deputies for not tabling motions or doing anything in between. We know this motion comes up every year and we have tabled a balanced amendment. We are asking the Minister to look at how the industry is funded and to determine if this is the best use of funds and how best to support the sectors. The amendment also has a workers’ rights element. We recognise that this industry is still a strong albeit declining part of some communities. We want the Minister to accept the amendment and look at how this fund is distributed and how the rights of the workers in the sector can be improved. We want an employment regulation order to be introduced setting minimum rates of pay and conditions. As has been noted, this fund comes from a betting levy but the revenue is only allocated to the horse and greyhound industries. The distribution of funding towards other sports areas needs to be considered.

I have laid out my personal bona fidesin this matter, as I have done previously. I come from a family that used to breed and race horses. The Crufty point-to-point race used to take place outside our front window. We could have sat and watched it at home if we had wanted to. However, we do not have horse racing on our land any more. We recognise that it is not a sustainable or proper way to treat animals. I ask the Minister to consider our fair and balanced amendment, which gives him an opportunity to come back to both Houses on how we can deal with this fund. I implore him to consider that. I will not vote in favour of this fund, and I never will.