The Irish greyhound industry is now "ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION". That's according to the vice-chairman of the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation (IGOBF). In a message posted this week on the Greyhound Data website, Anthony Walsh wrote: "I am vice chairman of the Greyhound Federation and I have been involved in greyhound racing for a long number of years and if you read the IGOBF website you can see all that we have been trying to do to save this industry, which as we all know, is on the brink of extinction. We have virtually achieved nothing." The statement comes less than a year after Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill (nominated to Seanad Eireann by the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation) similarly signalled the end of greyhound racing. In December, he called for action "to save the future of this great industry from its near collapse position at the moment." The Evening Echo's greyhound racing correspondent recently provided a damning insight into the state of greyhound racing. In a series of tweets, Barry Drake commented that greyhound racing "has a rotten image" and is "in serious trouble". After attending greyhound racing in Cork's Curraheen Park track, he tweeted "Shocking crowds, poor tote-pools, zero atmosphere, game in serious trouble. Something needs to be done quickly!" In September, we reported that the Curraheen Park track cancelled racing on Thursdays. The drop in interest in racing at Curraheen Park has previously been highlighted by the Evening Echo newspaper. A report in March outlined that "due to a lack of entries", a race at the track had to be delayed by a week "in the hope that extra entries materialise". A track manager was quoted as saying: "It is disappointing that such an event has failed to fill". This week, an "important meeting" was scheduled to take place at Clonmel greyhound track to discuss the future of the track. During the summer, the privately-owned Longford greyhound track came close to closure, saved only after a fundraising drive and continued cash injections of over €40,000 from the taxpayer-funded Irish Greyhound Board. In July, the Longford Leader reported that "doubts hang over future of Longford Greyhound Track", quoting a member of the track’s committee as saying "the industry is on its knees" and "people have stopped coming". Meanwhile, in County Kerry, a race due to take place this week had to be postponed due to a lack of entries. A notice on the Irish Greyhound Board website states: "The Red Mills Unraced Stake at Tralee has been deferred by a week due to a shortage of entries." As reported by ICABS earlier this year, greyhound owners are abandoning the industry in their thousands. Further to a Dail Question from ICABS President, Maureen O'Sullivan TD, the Irish Greyhound Board confirmed that the number of active owners of racing greyhounds has plummeted by nearly 50 per cent in the past decade. Information supplied to Deputy O'Sullivan by the IGB shows a major exodus from the industry, i.e. there were 7,265 fewer owners of racing greyhounds in 2015 than in 2007. The numbers fell every year from 14,869 in 2007 to 7,604 in 2015. The number of greyhound racing meetings has also significantly dropped. In 2006, 2,190 meetings were held and in 2015, that number had fallen by a quarter to 1,642. Other figures supplied by the greyhound board confirm that it's not only greyhound owners who are turning their backs on the industry - so too is the general public, with 606,099 less attendances at greyhound tracks around Ireland in the past 10 years. That's a nearly 50 per cent fall. Sponsors are also rejecting greyhound racing with a 58 per cent drop in sponsorship between 2007 and 2014. The industry has also seen a 58 per cent fall in tote in the same period. There is no doubt that this is a dying industry in freefall. With greyhound owners abandoning the industry in their thousands, sponsors backing away due to revelations about cruelty/doping/killing and a massive drop in track attendance, it's time for the Irish Government to stop propping up the industry with taxpayers' money and put a stop to the latest €16 million in funding it is poised to hand over next month. ACTION ALERT Another massive €16 million in funding has been earmarked for the cruel greyhound industry in Budget 2018. In December, TDs will vote on the payment of this latest grant via the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2018. It is vital that you contact your local TDs and demand that they vote against it. Find TD contact details at http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=32&disp=mem Don't attend greyhound races or community fund-raisers held at greyhound tracks (these are a significant source of funding for the cruel greyhound industry). Greyhound racing should not be funded by the people of Ireland, the majority of whom have no interest in it and are rightly opposed to an industry in which dogs are injured, dumped and killed. Please join us in urging the government to stop wasting precious funds on this dying industry. An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020 Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie Tweet to: @campaignforLeo Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/ Paschal Donohoe TD Minister for Finance Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810 Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/ Tweet to @Paschald Michael Creed TD Minister for Agriculture Department of Agriculture Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Email: michael.creed@oir.ie Tel: +353 (0)1-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510. Fax: +353 (0)1-661 1013. Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd Tweet to @creedcnw Andrew Doyle TD Minister of State, Dept of Agriculture Email: andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie Tweet to @ADoyleTD