Written answers
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Greyhound Industry
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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1197. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proportion of the total number of greyhounds that tested positive for prohibited substances, from 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017, that are recorded by Bord na gCon-Irish Greyhound Board as having no case to answer; and the circumstances that would lead to a positive test result but a finding of no case to answer. [19915/17]
Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is the statutory body responsible for the regulation and development of greyhound racing under the Greyhound Act 1958.
The issue to which the Deputy refers is an operational matter for Bord na gCon.
BnG have provided the following statistics on proportions of positive samples and of cases determined to have no case to answer.
| Year | Samples received to NGL | Positive samples | % of Total | Determined no case to answer | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6,356 | 51 | 0.8 | 4 | 0.06 |
| 2014 | 5,898 | 31 | 0.5 | 10 | 0.17 |
| 2015 | 5,074 | 79 | 1.6 | 23 | 0.45 |
| 2016 | 5,383 | 48 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 1,521 | 5 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.00 |
Regarding the reasons why positive samples end up as cases with no case to answer I refer the Deputy to the BnG website. Control Committee Publications relating to positive samples from October 1st 2015 are available at with individual detail.
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