Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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80. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing mandatory drug testing for all competing greyhounds (details supplied); if he will introduce heavier penalties for those found doping, particularly in view of the fact that in 2017, six greyhounds were found to have cocaine in their system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41289/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Bord na gCon is a commercial state body established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and improve and develop the greyhound industry 

I understand from Bord na gCon that in the years 2014, 2015, and 2016 it procured 5860, 5074, and 5383 samples respectively for the purposes of the detection of prohibited substance testing. Bord na gCon has informed me that  such figures compare very favourably with in- competition sampling rates in other racing jurisdictions. From the samples procured typically less than 1% return adverse analytical findings for prohibited substances and the majority of these findings may be attributed to therapeutic administration of medications or dietary related feed contaminants.

The enhancement of Bord na gCon’s scope in its remit of sample collection was significantly addressed in 2016 when amending secondary legislation was introduced to the Greyhound Industry Racing Regulations.  Bord na gCon officials are now authorised to sample greyhounds out of competition at owners and trainers premises, whether such greyhounds are in training or not. Bord na gCon has frequently exercised this new testing regime as part of its integrity management and doping control regime.

The return of an adverse analytical finding for a prohibited substance necessitates the regulatory referral of the matter to the Independent Control Committee for investigation and determination. The matter of sanctions issued by the Independent Committee is entirely under their remit but it is significant that amending legislation was introduced by Bord na gCon in 2015 to provide for the mandatory publication of Control Committee decisions made relating to any person deemed to have contravened the Regulations. These publications are required by regulation to contain the findings of the Control Committee, and its reasons for such findings.

The cases of Benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of Cocaine) referred to by Deputy Wallace have been referred to the Control Committee for appropriate investigation and determination and any further comment on the matter is not appropriate at this juncture.