Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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112. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of the legal status of greyhounds registered and racing, whose registration was in breach of the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005, in view of the fact that they were conceived by frozen sperm more than two years after the death of the stud sire, and before the 2014 amendment to these regulations, which removes the two year time limit for the use of the frozen sperm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18753/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is responsible for the identification and registration of greyhounds in the Irish Greyhound Studbook. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon (BNG) under Section 26 (2) of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 (the Act). BNG is the statutory body with responsibility for the improvement and development of the greyhound industry, greyhound racing and coursing.

Detailed rules governing the practice of the artificial insemination of greyhounds were set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005, (S.I. No. 561 of 2005), which were made by BNG under Section 39 of the Act.

The Regulations included a two year limit on the use of semen for artificial insemination following the death of a stud dog, thereafter any unused semen had to be destroyed.

My Department was informed by Bord na gCon in early 2013 that procedural issues had arisen in relation to the registration of greyhounds conceived following artificial insemination which were at variance with the provisions set down in the 2005 regulations referred to above.

Having discussed the situation at a meeting on 18^thSeptember 2014, the Board of BNG after consultation with the ICC, decided to remove the two-year time limit on the use of semen for artificial insemination following the death of a stud dog.

Following that consultation and with my consent, as is required under section 39 of the 1958 Act, the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds (Amendment) Regulations 2014 were introduced by BNG and came into effect on the 1^stof November 2014, thus removing the two-year time limit on the use of semen for artificial insemination following the death of a stud dog.

I understand that the Board decided to commission a scientific study in order to inform any decision as to what time limit, if any, should be applied in the future to the use of semen in AI after the death of a stud sire. In this regard, BNG and the ICC have recently carried out preliminary research and discussions have taken place with various experts in quantitative genetics, animal & bioscience research and canine genetic on specific areas of interest for the proposed AI study.

I am informed by BNG that the scientific study referred to above will provide relevant information to assist the Board with regard to further development of policy in this area.