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Over €10 million in Horse Racing Ireland grants to foxhunts has helped sustain one of Ireland's worst forms of cruelty to animals.
Sickening details obtained by Paul Murphy TD reveal that over the past nine years, €10,413,400 in point-to-point racing grants have been channelled into the coffers of 66 hunts around Ireland. This includes a massive hand-out of €1,528,200 in 2022.
Point-to-points are horse races organised by hunt clubs. They are a significant source of income for hunts and effectively prop up the bloodsport clubs. Without the Horse Racing Ireland grants, race events would not be viable and this would likely lead to the demise of many hunts.
The details obtained by Deputy Paul Murphy (Solidarity - People Before Profit) show that the money paid out to hunts included around €6 million in grants for race prize money.
Horse Racing Ireland - a body which has to-date received more than €1.3 Billion of taxpayers' money in the form of government grants – shamefully continues to give financial support to foxhunts despite majority support in Ireland for a ban on the cruel bloodsport.
The 2014 to 2022 HRI figures show that individual hunts have enjoyed major cash injections for point-to-point racing events they organised at one or more locations.
Two hunts have received more than half a million euros (United fox hunt - €699,700 and Duhallow fox hunt - €633,200) and five others have received more than a quarter of a million euros (Muskerry €331,900, West Waterford €328,700, North Down €302,000, East Antrim €268,400 and Tipperary hunt €253,200).
Another 14 hunts have received €200,000 or more, 24 others have received between 100,000 and 199,000 and 21 received up to 100,000.
The grants from Irish taxpayer-funded Horse Racing Ireland are not only benefiting hunts in the Republic but also, incredibly, hunts in Northern Ireland. They have been paid over €1.5 million since 2014.
Among the hunts in the North supported by Horse Racing Ireland are North Down (€302,000), East Antrim (€268,400), East Down (€201,200), Fermanagh (€200,000), Mid Antrim (€198,900), County Down (€150,200), Tynan & Armagh (€102,200), Newry (€84,700) and Oriel hunt (€3,300).
Please scroll down for full list of hunts and amounts. Download the HRI document from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ttq-3ZYd_8qMLZvSRHVPtnxgvWkMzKJG/view
In a Dail Question to Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, Deputy Murphy asked if he will stop the funding “given that the money is propping up hunt clubs which are involved in bloodsports which the majority of people want banned.”
HRI's shameful response to this was that it “will continue to support point-to-point racing through the provision of prizemoney and administrative grant aid.”
What an outrage that public funds – through government grants to Horse Racing Ireland – are making their way into the hands of fox hunters. In allowing this, the government is disregarding the views of the majority who want foxhunting banned. A RED C poll found that 77 per cent want a ban on foxhunting, while just 12 per cent disagree with a ban.
Instead of giving financial support to foxhunts, the government should be outlawing this deplorable activity which causes horrendous suffering and death.
In foxhunting, foxes are chased to exhaustion by a pack of hounds. When caught, the foxes are knocked to the ground, bitten, disembowelled and pulled apart. Foxes who try to find refuge underground are pursued by hunt terriers, dug out of the ground and brutally killed.
As highlighted by ICABS in the past, foxhunts also receive money to cover the costs of doctors at point-to-points.
In 2017, then TD Clare Daly asked the then Agriculture Minister Michael Creed about “his views on the fact that public funds are channelled to hunt clubs via Horse Racing Ireland to meet the cost of providing doctors at each point-to-point – a cost which was previously borne by point-to-point organisers”. Minister Creed replied: “From 2017, the funding provided to the Turf Club / INHS Committee for Point-to-Points includes the cost of providing one suitably qualified medical officer at every point-to-point. This is to ensure that the appropriate level of care and attention is available for riders in the event of injury.”
In 2021, Paul Murphy TD questioned Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue about “medical staff and the number of ambulances and ambulance crew members in attendance at racecourses and point-to-point meetings nationwide”
“Ambulance providers [at race meetings and point-to-point meetings] are all from the voluntary sector, with the Order of Malta being their main provider (the Irish Red Cross cover one racecourse, and the Civil Defence cover two racecourses),” Minister McConalogue told him. “To ensure the highest level of safety for riders, each fixture is serviced by three ambulances and the appropriate crew numbers which, as a rule, is a driver and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on each ambulance.”
He revealed that “the daily rate for ambulances at race meetings is met 50/50 by the racecourses and Horse Racing Ireland” and that “the Order of Malta receives an annual grant from HRI”.
ACTION ALERT
Demand an end to the government’s grants to horse racing and HRI's grants to cruel foxhunting. Contact the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Finance Minister now.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD
Telephone: +353 (0)1-704 3630 OR +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Tanaiste Micheál Martin TD
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Michael McGrath TD
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgrath.1614
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mmcgrathtd
Join calls for a ban on foxhunting in Ireland. Foxes should be protected, not persecuted. A RED C opinion poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, shows that a 77% majority agree that the government should ban foxhunting. The poll found that just 12% disagree with a ban. Tell politicians to respect the wishes of the majority and ban foxhunting now.
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein, Labour Party and the Green Party and demand a ban on fox hunting and all bloodsports.
Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
Contact all your local TDs and urge them to push for a ban on foxhunting. Visit the Oireachtas website for names of TDs and their email addresses http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=33&disp=mem
Keep hunters off your land
If you are a landowner, make your land off-limits to hunters. Find out more about how to do this on our Farmers/Landowners Page – http://www.banbloodsports.com/farmers.htm
Witness the cruelty of foxhunting at
http://www.banbloodsports.com/videos.htm
Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports
HRI point-to-point racing grants to hunts
United Hunt (F): €699,700
Duhallow (F): €633,200
Muskerry (F): €331,900
West Waterford (F): €328,700
North Down (F): €302,000
East Antrim (H): €268,400
Tipperary (F): €253,200
Carlow Farmers (F): €230,400
Killinick (H): €224,400
Ormond (F): €220,900
Wexford (F): €216,600
County Clare (H): €213,700
Laois (F): €209,300
Shillelagh & District (F): €205,900
South Union (F): €205,800
Westmeath (F): €205,100
Stonehall (H): €204,300
Meath (F): & Tara, (H): €203,400
East Down (F): €201,200
Louth (F): €200,100
Fermanagh (H): €200,000
Limerick (F): €199,900
Mid Antrim (H): €198,900
Galway Blazers (F): €187,900
Killeagh (H): €187,000
Carbery (F): €186,800
Iveagh (F): €169,800
Kilkenny (F): €160,800
Route (H): €160,300
Bree (F): €153,200
County Down (S): €150,200
Brosna (F): €134,800
Killultagh Old Rock & Chichester (F): €127,500
Kildare (F): €119,300
South Westmeath (H): €119,000
Ballymacad (F): €118,300
Waterford (F): €115,800
Island Hunt (F): €115,700
County Limerick (F): €115,700
Golden Vale (F): €115,200
North Kerry (H): €108,900
Kilworth & Araglen (H): €102,900
Tynan & Armagh: €102,200
North Kilkenny (F): €102,000
North Tipperary (F): €101,100
Bray (H): €97,300
Scarteen (F): €94,300
Avondhu (F): €93,800
Ward Union (S): €93,600
Dungarvan Farmers (F): €90,600
Kilmoganny (F): €89,400
North Galway (F): €86,100
Doneraile (H): €84,800
Newry (H): €84,700
Wicklow (F): €77,300
Westmeath & Longford (H): €73,800
East Galway (F): €70,300
Premier (H): €68,200
Killeady (H): €62,700
Suirvale (H): €40,900
County Roscommon (H): €25,900
Ballinagore (H): €18,400
Cloyne: €17,500
East Clare: €15,600
Clonmel Premier (H): €15,100
Oriel (H): €3,300
Total: €10,413,400