Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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343. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all the sections of the Greyhound Industry Acts, the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 and artificial insemination legislation that he is aware that some greyhound owners have breached or are allowed to ignore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26438/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of greyhound racing under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958. It has specific powers conferred on it by the Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations 2007, S.I. 302 of 2007, which set out the detailed rules under which greyhound racing is conducted. The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the controlling authority for the breeding and coursing of greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon under Section 26(2) of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.

The Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 specifies standards for greyhound welfare, establishes a register of Greyhound Breeding Establishments and regulates their operation. A code of Practice in the care and welfare of the greyhound has been established and published by Bord na gCon as per the requirements of the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011. The primary objective of the Code of Practice is to set standards and clearly define what is expected of all individuals engaged in the care and management of registered greyhounds.

Greyhound welfare at Bord na gCon is managed by the Welfare Manager who can call upon three area stipendiary stewards and thirteen control stewards to conduct investigations of stray or mistreated greyhounds, conduct kennel inspections and investigate other welfare related incidents which have been reported to Bord na gCon. The Welfare Manager, all area stipendiary stewards and all control stewards have been appointed by Bord na gCon as Welfare Officers under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011.

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.

My Department was informed by BNG 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. These provided for 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.

Arising from this, my Department requested BNG to pursue the issue with the ICC, following which BNG introduced new legislation in this area, namely “Artificial Insemination of greyhounds (Amendment) Regulations 2014”, removing the two-year limit.

I am informed by Bord na gCon that in conjunction with the Irish Coursing Club they have carried out preliminary research and discussions with various experts in the areas of Quantitative Genetics, Animal & Bioscience Research and Canine Genetics on the specific aspects such as

- Pedigree analysis of inbreeding levels and rate of accumulation of inbreeding in the Irish Greyhound

- Developing a breeding program to ensure long term gains while simultaneously managing genetic diversity

- The impact on the age of semen or age of semen donor on gene mutation rate.

Following on from this, I understand that Bord na gCon have commissioned a scientific study dealing with topics outlined above with a view to assisting the Board in relation to policy development in this area.