Written answers

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Bord na gCon

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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163. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the nature and length of sanctions imposed by Bord na gCon on greyhounds who tested positive for banned substances in 2014 and 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12808/15]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The control, administration and regulation of greyhound racing, are the responsibility of Bord na gCon under the Greyhound Industry Acts 1958 and 1993. Two statutory committees of Bord na gCon, namely the Control Committee and the Control Appeals Committee are central to the regulatory process. These committees operate independently of Bord na gCon.The Control Committee and the Control Appeals Committee of Bord na gCon were established under the Greyhound Industry (Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee) Regulations 2007 (S.I. Number 301 of 2007).

Under that legislation, full details of any laboratory findings can only be published at the conclusion of proceedings by the Control Committee and the Control Appeals Committee.

The majority of samples obtained at licensed stadia are tested for prohibited substances in the National Greyhound Laboratory at Bord na gCon headquarters in Limerick and some samples are tested in an appropriate laboratory the UK.

The number of Control Committee monetary Sanctions for the years 2014 and 2015 where prohibited substances were detected were 71 and 10 respectively. The monetary sanctions ranged from €100 to €2,500 with 58 cases of sanctions in the range €100 to €200, 9 cases in the range €250 to €400, 5 cases of €500 to €750 and 9 cases in the range €1,000 to €2,500.

In the circumstances where the additional sanction of a Testing Order is applied by the Control Committee the greyhounds under the care of the Owner/Trainer are subjected to testing when presented for racing for a specified period of time. The testing order imposed in 2014 was for 3 months and the one for 2015 was for 6 months. There were two Testing Order Sanctions with 1 in each of the two years.

The Control Committee has not issued any Exclusion or Disqualification Orders in this time period.

The Control Committee, when determining the sanctions consider the following:

- Nature of substance detected

- Evidence presented at a Hearing

- Mitigating circumstances when relevant

- Co-operation with the proceedings

- Previous Offences

I have been assured by Bord na gCon of its commitment to ensuring that the regulatory system within the industry is aligned with international best practice founded on integrity, education and transparency to all our stakeholders.

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